There’s a new party coming to Louisiana politics — and you may already be invited.
The Independent Party became a recognized political party on Dec. 22, after party chairman Patrick Bergeron and party treasurer William “Bill” Bryan filed with the Secretary of State’s office. Though the party is in the early stages of organizing, Bergeron and Bryan managed to successfully file by tapping existing databases of registered Independent voters.
According to the Secretary of State’s website, a political party receives state recognition if it has at least 1,000 registered voters affiliated with the party, submits a notarized application and pays a $1,000 registration fee.
Bergeron and Bryan reached the 1,000-voter limit by pulling names from the existing pool of 56,316 registered Independents statewide, according to SOS press secretary Meg Casper.
The independent movement in Louisiana has gained traction in recent years. In 2014, former Gov. Bobby Jindal signed Act 594 of the 2014 regular session into law, allowing for the formal organization of a state Independent Party.
Until then, a provision in the Louisiana Election Code prohibited the formation of a political party known solely as “Independent.” Act 594, authored by then-state Sen. Richard “Rick” Gallot, D-Ruston, took effect Jan. 1, 2015.
The Independent Party joins the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, Green and Reform parties as the state’s sixth active political group, according to the Secretary of State’s website. The State Party, as it’s alternatively called, “seeks to diminish the influence of the current ‘two party only’ system” by emboldening a movement of independent voters.
The party plans to open up the democratic process, support a more non-partisan form of government, create new electoral coalitions and encourage greater constituent control of governing systems. It will also endorse candidates, either from the party itself or non-Independent Party candidates who are “wise, moral and honest” and uphold the ideals expected of party candidates, the party’s bylaws said.
The Independent Party’s formal structure is similar to that of established political parties in the state, with standards of membership, committees and organizational structure at the state, parish and local levels, according to the party’s bylaws.
Despite having a traditional party structure, the Independent Party’s non-partisan message may offer a viable political alternative to the two-party domination of the Republican and Democratic parties.
Psychology junior Victoria Disedare said the Independent Party may be able to provide an outlet for millennials to find a voice and present ideas that are lost among more traditional political parties. Knowing there are options available could motivate young voters to become more engaged in the political process, Disedare said.
Philosophy senior Daniela Hurtado said she could see the majority of the new party’s membership come from the millennial generation. Many are fed up with politics and the traditional party system and may choose to look beyond the Democratic and Republican parties for representation, she said.
Given today’s political divisiveness, the party may be poised to succeed, she said.
“I think it’s impossible to sustain a bipartisan system forever while keeping everyone happy,” Hurtado said. “An addition of any party in the state is a good thing. It’s obviously going to take them a long time to build a good coalition of people behind them but … I think that they have a chance in the time that they’re deciding to come out and do it.”