BATON ROUGE — During Saturday's closed primary election, there was some confusion among voters and election workers.

"There, you know, some voters were confused. Commissioners had to learn new processes and new forms they had to fill out," Administrator for the East Baton Rouge Parish Clerk of Court, Brandon Abadie, said.

Abadie spoke with WBRZ about an hour before polls closed, saying that Louisiana has not had a no-party system since 2008.

"And back then it was different, it wasn't even like this, where they have to choose, so there is a lot of confusion," he said.

WBRZ political analyst James Hartman said closed primary elections are common in most states.

"It really shouldn't be that egregious. People shouldn't be as aggravated about it as they are. I mean, look at presidential primaries, you can only vote in your party for those. This is simply bringing that down to the state level, which most states do," Hartman said.

With a U.S. Senate runoff election next month, Hartman said none of the candidates should assume the same voters who turned out during the May election will show up in June.

"It's a whole different election now, especially with voters mobilized by redistricting, by gerrymandering, by constitutional amendments, and by the strange outcome in the Senate race," Hartman said.

In November, voters will also head back to the polls for the U.S. House of Representatives race, which was suspended by Gov. Landry due to a Supreme Court ruling on Louisiana's congressional map. That race will be an open primary.

Candidates for the House were still on Saturday's ballot, but were not counted. A bill signed into law by Landry keeps those results confidential.

"It's completely reasonable to keep those vote tallies a secret at this point, because they could influence voter behavior in the fall," Hartman said.

A spokesperson for the Secretary of State sent a statement to WBRZ regarding the confusion for some people at the polls:

"Any time there is a significant change to election procedures, there is naturally a learning curve for voters, candidates, poll commissioners, and election officials. Overall, Saturday’s election was conducted successfully across Louisiana, with more than 800,000 voters casting ballots.

Following the decision by the Legislature and Governor to transition to a closed party primary system, the Secretary of State’s Office launched an extensive statewide voter education effort to help the public understand the changes. That effort included multimedia advertising campaigns, educational videos, community presentations, media outreach, and expanded training for poll commissioners, election staff, and other stakeholders.

While we cannot comment on generalized claims or anonymous allegations without specific details, the Secretary of State’s Office takes all reports of potential voting irregularities seriously. Any complaint made directly to our office is reviewed and investigated thoroughly and appropriately. Voters who experience an issue at the polls are encouraged to contact the Elections Hotline at 1-800-883-2805 so concerns can be addressed promptly."