Democrats in this state will not have a shot in this open primary system starting in 2012. It was pushed by Rep. Hunter Green (R) with the public intent to save the state money. It does save the state money however there are many more opportunities and areas to cut and trim the budget. A Louisiana House of Representatives and Senate controlled by Democrats should never have approved this bill in order to assure the fairness of future elections. This makes it so much harder for a Democrat to get elected to congress. In a state with a majority of registered Democratic party voters it is very hard to get a democrat elected to congress and statewide. The closed primary system allowed Democrats to build support and momentum. The open primary strips Democrats of the ability to build loyalty, momentum, and support.
Open primaries (or pick-a-party) are those in which voters of any affiliation may vote for the slate of any party.
Closed primaries are those in which only the voters affiliated with a party may vote in its primary. (Building Party loyalty which Louisiana Dems Need)
Blanket primaries (or "jungle primaries") are those in which voters, regardless of affiliation, may choose the party primary in which they want to vote on an office-by-office basis. The blanket primary was struck down in 2001 by the Supreme Court in CA Democratic Party v. Jones.