ACLU of Louisiana Statement on Denial of Temporary Restraining Order Against Governor Landry’s Election Suspension

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 2, 2026

Media contact: Jesse Vad, [email protected]

NEW ORLEANS — The ACLU of Louisiana is deeply disappointed that the court has denied our motion for a temporary restraining order against Louisiana officials. The court has allowed Governor Landry to suspend part of an election already in progress and disenfranchise voters who have already cast their ballots.

The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy, and election laws must be enforced fairly and consistently, not manipulated for political gain. Once votes are lawfully cast, elected officials must respect them, not erase them to serve a partisan agenda.

Governor Landry suspended part of this election because the Supreme Court gave him permission to gerrymander Black voters out of fair representation. This is exactly the kind of abuse of power the Voting Rights Act was designed to prevent. Politicians who try to rig election rules to cling to power are attacking our most fundamental rights.

But here's what the court cannot do: it cannot stop Louisiana voters from showing up on May 16th in unprecedented numbers. We will not be deterred by a strongman authoritarian administration and a judicial system that enables it.

To every Louisiana voter: make a plan to vote on May 16th or before. The election is still happening, only the congressional portion has been suspended. Early voting begins May 2. Check your registration. Know your polling place. Bring as many people in your community with you as you can. There are still harmful constitutional amendments on the ballot we must vote down and important local races we must participate in.

We have overcome worse in this state's history: poll taxes, literacy tests, violence at the ballot box. Our ancestors risked their lives to protect the right to vote. We will honor their sacrifice by voting like our future depends on it, because it does.

Governor Landry and his allies can change the maps, but they cannot change our determination. May 16th is when Louisiana voters remind them: our power comes from the ballot box, and no gerrymander can silence us when we show up in full force.

We will continue fighting this abuse of power in every available venue. And we call on every eligible Louisiana voter to join us at the polls.