Frankie Hyers at the podium
Federal Civil Rights Case • E.D. Louisiana • No. 26-286

No-Party Does Not Mean No Voice.

Louisianans registered as No-Party voters have chosen, determinedly, NOT to affiliate with ANY political party.

We are not unregistered.

We are not disengaged.

We are not without a voice.

We have made a civic choice: No party owns our vote.

Louisiana's new closed federal primary system turns that independence into a disadvantage. To participate meaningfully, No-Party voters must pass through a party gate in a taxpayer-funded election.

Nearly 1 in 3 Louisiana voters are registered outside the two major parties. 802,138 voters • 27.9% of registered voters • Independent Voter Project, 2026
Frankie Hyers refused to sign what he believed was a false certification to run for U.S. Senate as a No-Party candidate. Louisiana kept him off the ballot. Now he is taking the issue to federal court.
Get Frankie Too Understand the Case
Case Hyers & Glass v. Landry
Court E.D. Louisiana, Section R
Judge Sarah S. Vance
Filing Deadline June 10, 2026
The Issue

What Is a No-Party Voter?

A No-Party voter is registered to vote, but has chosen not to register as a Democrat, Republican, or member of another political party. That choice is not confusion. It is not silence. It is not disengagement.

It is independence.

No-Party voters still pay taxes. They still serve their communities. They still live under the laws made by elected officials. They simply do not want a party label attached to their vote.

Louisiana's new closed federal primary system asks No-Party voters to make a choice they should not have to make: choose a party ballot, or accept reduced access to the federal primary process.

That matters because primaries narrow the field. They decide which candidates gain momentum, money, press coverage, and legitimacy before the general election. By November, the real choice may already be gone.

1 in 3
Louisiana Voters802,138 registered Independent or other. 27.9% of the electorate. Not a fringe. A constituency.
50 YRS
Open Primary TraditionLouisiana used an open primary for decades. Any candidate could qualify. Any voter could vote. Ended in 2024.
23
Certified SignaturesOf 2,500 required. Not because people didn't support Frankie. Because 71% of voters were legally banned from signing.
$0
Fee Path AvailableCash in hand on qualifying day. Refused. The fee path is categorically closed to No-Party candidates for every federal office.
The Fairness Argument

A Taxpayer-Funded Election Should Not Have a Party Gate.

Federal primaries are run through public election machinery.

  • Public officials.
  • Public polling places.
  • Public ballots.
  • Public money.

If voters help fund the election system, they deserve fair access to the election system. A party should not control the doorway to public representation.

The case raises a constitutional question: should meaningful access to a federal primary depend on party affiliation?

Critics describe the system as suppressive because it makes participation harder for voters who refuse party affiliation. The effect is real regardless of the label: political independence has become a penalty.

Frankie Hyers with megaphone and protest signs
Metairie, Louisiana • The Piano Dude, at it again
Frankie at the 2021 Louisiana Redistricting Road Show
2021 Louisiana Redistricting Road Show • Showing up, as usual
Louisiana's Own History

A Break From Louisiana's Own Tradition.

For decades, Louisiana used an open primary system. Under that system, voters could cast ballots regardless of party affiliation, and candidates could qualify regardless of party.

Louisiana's Secretary of State describes the open primary system this way: "all eligible voters may cast a vote, regardless of party affiliation."

The new closed-primary system changes that tradition for certain federal and other offices. The Secretary of State acknowledges that Act 1 created closed-party primaries, where candidates on a voter's ballot are limited by party affiliation.

This is not a novel interpretation or an outside imposition. It is a break from Louisiana's own long election tradition, enacted by the legislature in 2024 and contested in federal court.

Thomas Jefferson warned against "tyranny over the mind of man." This case asks whether voters may keep political independence without paying a price.

Section 8

Louisiana Closed Every Door.

Louisiana did not merely make the No-Party path harder. It created a system where independence became a structural barrier. There were three doors. They closed all three.

FEE
Door One • Closed
The Fee Door
Party candidates had access to a standard qualifying route: pay the fee, get on the ballot. No-Party candidates did not. The Secretary of State's own fee schedule lists the qualifying fee for non-recognized-party candidates as "0 (cannot access)." Frankie offered to pay in cash on qualifying day. He was refused. The door is categorically locked regardless of financial ability.
$3,500Senate fee. Closed to No-Party candidates entirely.
SIGN
Door Two • Rigged
The Petition Door
No-Party candidates had to collect signatures from a restricted pool of voters. Republicans and Democrats could not sign. That means 2,142,000 Louisiana voters, more than 71 percent of the registered electorate, including voters who have previously voted for the candidate, were legally banned from supporting a No-Party Senate candidacy. Frankie was forced to seek signatures from a pool representing less than 29 percent of the state.
71%Of Louisiana voters banned from signing your petition.
LIE
Door Three • Defective
The Certification Door
Frankie was asked to certify participation in a process he believed was unavailable to him as a No-Party candidate. He would not sign something he believed was false. The Secretary's own representative acknowledged the defect and permitted him to alter the official government form by hand. Other parishes accepted the altered forms. Jefferson Parish rejected them. Same forms. Different rules. No written standard.
0Written responses to the formal request for relief.
"This is how political independence becomes a penalty."
The core of the case • Hyers & Glass v. Landry, No. 26-286
Frankie Hyers, blue shirt, thumbs up
When Voting Rules Get Complicated
Voters pay the price. Louisiana's May 2026 primary proved it.
The Real-World Friction

Confusion Is Already Here.

Rule changes are not abstract. In May 2026, Louisiana voters faced confusion after U.S. House primaries were suspended while other elections continued. WWNO reported voter frustration and confusion around the May 16 election.

The Governor's office said U.S. House closed-party primaries were suspended following the Supreme Court's Louisiana v. Callais ruling. Voters arrived expecting one election and found another.

Voting barriers often fall hardest on voters with less time, less access, less mobility, or less familiarity with rule changes. Louisiana's May 2026 rollout already produced the friction that complex systems always produce.

When voting rules become complicated, voters pay the price.

The Federal Case

Hyers & Glass v. Landry
No. 26-286

2021
Redistricting Road Show, Statewide
Frankie attends hearings across Louisiana and speaks on the record on behalf of Jefferson Parish citizens. One of dozens of civic appearances across seven years of personally funded engagement.
Frankie at the 2021 Louisiana Redistricting Road Show
June 2024
HB 17 Signed. The Open Primary Ends.
Louisiana replaces its decades-long open primary with a semi-closed system for federal offices. The fee path closes for No-Party candidates. The petition signer pool is restricted to less than 29 percent of the electorate for Senate candidates.
January 2026
Petitions Submitted. Inconsistent Results.
Nominating petitions submitted across four parishes. Jefferson Parish rejects altered forms that Orleans, St. Bernard, and Ascension accept without objection. Same forms. Different rules. No written standard from the Secretary of State.
February 13, 2026
Qualifying Day. Four Refusals in One Day.
The certification defect is challenged. A written letter requests relief. The petitions are rejected for insufficient signatures. Cash payment of the qualifying fee is refused. The Secretary verbally denies the letter and hands over copies of the governing statutes.
May 11, 2026
Court Orders Amended Complaint.
Judge Vance dismisses the original complaint without prejudice and grants 30 days to file an amended complaint with specific allegations against Secretary Landry's enforcement role.
May 14, 2026
Act 7: House Fixed. Senate Left Behind.
Three days after the dismissal order, Act 7 adjusts petition requirements for House candidates only. Senate candidates receive nothing. The legislature demonstrated it could fix the problem and chose not to for Senate.
May 16, 2026
Both Plaintiffs Sign Under Duress.
Both plaintiffs required to declare temporary Republican Party affiliation to receive a full primary ballot. They comply under duress. They vote. They verbally object to the poll commissioners. The injury is no longer hypothetical.
June 10, 2026
First Amended Complaint Due.
Filing deadline for the First Amended Complaint. Four counts: First Amendment compelled association, Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection, Anderson-Burdick balancing, and Due Process.
Case Status
First Amended Complaint
Active Litigation
Court
U.S. District Court
Eastern District of Louisiana
Section R (3)
Judge
Hon. Sarah S. Vance
Magistrate: Hon. Eva J. Dossier
Defendant
Nancy R. Landry
Louisiana Secretary of State
Constitutional Claims
First Amendment: Compelled Association
Equal Protection: Three-Tier Voter Classification
Anderson-Burdick Balancing
Due Process: Standardless Administration

Should meaningful access to a federal primary depend on party affiliation?

Should No-Party candidates face a harder path than party candidates?

Should a candidate have to certify something he believes is false to seek public office?

This case asks whether political independence still has equal standing in Louisiana elections.

Frankie Hyers, megaphone, street corner
Frankie Hyers • Metairie, Louisiana • U.S. Senate 2026
The Piano Dude
Jefferson Parish's most persistent citizen
His Tagline
"No Party. No Compromise. No Apology."
"Principles are the resilience, the unwavering strength to stand your ground, than your voice alone."
Liddy Glass • Co-Plaintiff • On reading this site
Frankie's Take

Seven Years of Showing Up.

I'm not a lawyer. I'm not funded by a PAC. I'm a No-Party voter from Metairie, Louisiana. People around here call me the Piano Dude on account of the hat. I've spent seven years showing up. State Senate campaigns. Jefferson Parish Council. The 2021 Redistricting Roadshow, statewide. The 2022 Extraordinary Session on apportionment. Monthly Parish Council meetings. I've been in the rooms, at the mics, on the record. Every time.

In 2024 I ran for Congress as a No-Party candidate, gathered signatures the old-fashioned way, paid the $600 qualifying fee, and earned 6,781 votes, the highest percentage voter turnout in my race across all federal offices including the presidential election.

"The same fee path the Secretary of State accepted from me in 2024 was categorically closed to me in 2026. Nothing changed about me. The legislature changed the rules."

For 2026, I declared for U.S. Senate. I did everything right. I gathered signatures. I showed up on qualifying day with cash in hand to pay the fee. They refused. Not because I didn't have the support. Because Louisiana's legislature engineered a system where people like me simply cannot get on the ballot.

They required me to certify, under penalty of law, that I was participating in a primary I was legally barred from entering. I crossed it out. I wrote in the truth. The Secretary's own representative acknowledged the form was defective, let me alter it, and my candidacy was still rejected.

On May 16, 2026, I showed up to vote. To receive a full ballot and access the Senate race, I was required to declare temporary Republican Party affiliation. I signed it under duress. And I told the poll commissioners, face to face, that what they were administering was unconstitutional.

This case is not only about one candidate. It is about whether Louisiana may punish voters and candidates for refusing a party label. We shall be heard.

Frankie Hyers and Liddy Glass
Frankie & Liddy • Co-Plaintiffs
"Liddy called the Secretary of State's office directly and resigned rather than administer laws she had helped challenge. They commissioned her anyway."
Liddy Glass: campaign manager, co-plaintiff, and commissioned Louisiana Election Commissioner who refused to serve. Pro se. No apology.
Get Frankie Too!
How > Who • Stand with No-Party voters across Louisiana

This is not about helping one party beat another. It is about protecting the right to stand outside the parties and still have a voice. No-Party voters are registered voters. They pay for elections. They live under the laws. They should not have to choose a party label to participate in a public election.

We declare: We believe Louisiana voters should not be required to declare temporary party affiliation to participate in a federal primary election. We believe No-Party candidates should have a fair and equal path to the ballot. We stand with the constitutional questions at the heart of Hyers & Glass v. Landry, No. 26-286.
Your information will be used only to communicate about this case and delivered to legislators as a petition. It will not be sold or shared with any political party or campaign.
Press & Media

The Story Is Already Written.

A pro se plaintiff known locally as the Piano Dude. A federal civil rights case. A co-plaintiff who resigned her state commission rather than administer laws she challenged in court. A legislature that fixed the problem for one federal office and deliberately left it in place for another. A primary election where both plaintiffs were required to sign the loyalty oath they were suing to stop.

If you are a journalist covering ballot access, election law, First Amendment rights, or independent voters, we are available for interview. Everything is on the record.

Frankie Hyers on Fox 8 News
As Seen on Fox 8 • Jefferson Parish Resident • Frankie Hyers
Media Contact
Frankie Hyers • Plaintiff Pro Se
jonfrankiehyers@gmail.com
(504) 478-3254
Case Documents
First Amended Complaint
PDF • Hyers & Glass v. Landry No. 26-286
Download
Exhibit H: SOS Fee Schedule
PDF • "0 (cannot access)"
Download
Exhibit B: Independent Party Dissolution
PDF • SOS News Release, July 28, 2025
Download
Exhibits D & E: Altered QF-42 Forms
PDF • February 13, 2026
Download
Press Kit
ZIP • Bio, Photos, Case Summary
Download
Key Facts for Reporters

802,138 Louisiana voters registered outside the two major parties, 27.9% of the electorate. Source: Independent Voter Project, 2026.

Both plaintiffs are pro se. No law firm. No PAC funding. Seven years of personally funded civic engagement.

On May 16, 2026, both plaintiffs were required to declare temporary Republican affiliation to vote in a federal primary. This occurred during active litigation.

Louisiana's legislature fixed the House candidate petition restrictions via Act 7 after the case was filed and deliberately left Senate restrictions in place.