Louisiana voters head to the polls

Added: 2026-05-17

[00:00:01]Well, election day is here and we are following all of the races tonight right here on WAFB. Good evening and welcome to 9 News at 6. I'm Deion Guillory.

[00:00:10]There are less than 2 hours before polling locations close. Our Riley Kramer is at one of those polling locations right now and has been speaking with voters and election workers to gauge the mood around this hotly contested election. Riley, good evening to you. What are you hearing?

[00:00:28]Yeah, good evening, Deion. We are live outside of Westdale Heights Academic Magnet School where people have been starting to It's been starting to die down a little bit, but they've had a steady flow of traffic all day.

[00:00:39]Throughout the day, the poll workers tell us that this is way more people than they expected, especially for an off-year election. Polls are closing at 8:00 p.m.

[00:00:48]And with this election looking different than people expected, they say they've gotten a whole bunch of questions, especially about the US House race being canceled and about this being the first closed primary and what that means for voters and their ballot options.

[00:01:00]This is a change we've never had to work it this way before. And yes, it is confusing. Hopefully, by the next election, it will be worked out. And if this is the This is the future and this is the how we're moving forward, I'd like to see the kinks worked out for sure.

[00:01:18]Um Once again, the polls are closing at 8:00. If you are in line by that time, you'll still be able to cast your ballot. Outside in Baton Rouge, I'm Riley Kramer, WAFB 9 News. All right, thanks, Riley. And tonight, there are several important races on the ballot with a big focus on the Republican Senate primary. Senator Bill Cassidy is the incumbent here, but recent polling shows he could be in a tight battle against his challengers, Congresswoman Julia Letlow and State Treasurer John Fleming. Another race with lots of eyes on it, especially in East Baton Rouge Parish, Constitutional Amendment number two, which would allow St. George to establish its own school system, is the reason organizers behind the new city said they wanted to break off from Baton Rouge. Schools in that area of the parish currently operate under the EBR school system, but a yes vote would give St. George more funding and give it the authority to raise local taxes. That vote must get a majority yes vote statewide and within East Baton Rouge Parish in order for it to pass.

[00:02:20]While we will have the results from all races tonight, one thing we won't have for you as soon as the polls close is the voter turnout numbers. Secretary of State Nancy Landry saying in part, quote, "Voter turnout percentages for this Saturday, May 16th election, will not be immediately available following the close of polls. Recent changes to Louisiana's closed party primary system enacted by the 2024 legislature have created additional reporting steps that will temporarily delay turnout reporting." And we will be following all of the important races tonight. You'll get the fastest results in the state right here, shown at the bottom of your screen and on the 9 News app as soon as the polls close at 8:00. And our live election night team coverage begins at 9:00 right here on WAFB. You can also watch on our streaming app on Roku.

[00:03:09]We'll also be covering the races online.

[00:03:11]You can go to our homepage on wafb.com, then click full election results on the top right of your screen to keep up throughout the night. You see it scrolling on your screen right now. You can also find several stories on our website tackling these races in detail, including one that breaks down the five amendments.