Gov. Jeff Landry has set a compressed special-election schedule to fill two Northshore vacancies on the Louisiana Supreme Court and the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education after both officeholders resigned for federal posts late last year, Louisiana Illuminator writes.  The initial p rimaries will be May 16, with runoff primaries June 27 if no candidate clears 50%, followed by a Nov. 3 general election that will coincide with high-profile U.S. Senate and Public Service Commission races.  The contests will be among the first conducted under Louisiana’s new semi-closed primary system.  Given the compressed timeline for these special elections, Landry has reduced the signature requirements from 1,000 to just 150, providing nonmajor-party candidates a narrow window to qualify by Jan. 30. Read the full story.  ...read more read less