Rules in your state

A primary election is an election used either to narrow the field of candidates for a given elective office or to determine the nominees for political parties in advance of a general election. Primary elections can take several different forms. The terms of participation (e.g., whether only registered party members can vote in a party's primary) in primary elections can vary by jurisdiction, political party, and the office or offices up for election.

STATE BY STATE

STATE BY STATE

Click your state to find out the rules and any local partners we might have

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY DC
Closed primary

Closed primary:

Only voters registered with a particular party may vote in that party’s primary election. So if you are registered as a Democrat, you can only vote for Democratic candidates. If you’re a registered Republican you can only vote for Republican candidates. If you are registered with a minor party, you can only vote in that party’s primary-if they hold one. The top vote-getter for each party moves on to the general election. Unaffiliated/independent voters cannot vote in closed primary elections.

States with closed primaries include: Alaska*, Arizona, California*, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho*, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Nebraska*, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, *North Dakota (no voter registration)*, Oklahoma*, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota*, Utah*, Washington*

*In these states the Democratic party has amended its rules to allow Independents to participate. 

Open partisan

Open partisan primary

with partisan registration:

Unaffiliated/independent voters may choose a major party ballot line in the primary; either Republican or Democrat. Voters who are already affiliated with a political party- Republican, Democrat or minor party- can vote only in that party’s primary.

States with a partisan primary and partisan voter registration include: Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Wyoming

Open partisan

Open partisan primary

with nonpartisan registration:

Voters are not required to formally affiliate/unaffiliated with a party. Every voter can choose a ballot line-Republican or Democrat-to vote in the primary.

States with a partisan open primary and nonpartisan voter registration include: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin. 

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY DC
Closed primary

Closed primary:

Only voters registered with a particular party may vote in that party’s primary election. So if you are registered as a Democrat, you can only vote for Democratic candidates. If you’re a registered Republican you can only vote for Republican candidates. If you are registered with a minor party, you can only vote in that party’s primary-if they hold one. The top vote-getter for each party moves on to the general election. Unaffiliated/independent voters cannot vote in closed primary elections.

States with closed primaries include: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Idaho*, Kentucky, Maryland, Nevada, Oklahoma*, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota*, Utah*

*In these states the Democratic party has amended its primary rules to allow independents to participate. 

Open partisan

Open partisan primary

with partisan registration:

Unaffiliated/independent voters may choose a major party ballot line in the primary; either Republican or Democrat. Voters who are already affiliated with a political party- Republican, Democrat or minor party- can vote only in that party’s primary.

States with a partisan primary and partisan voter registration include: Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Rhode Island, West Virginia, Wyoming.

Open partisan

Open partisan primary

with nonpartisan registration:

Voters are not required to formally affiliate/unaffiliated with a party. Every voter can choose a ballot line-Republican or Democrat-to vote in the primary.

States with a partisan open primary and nonpartisan voter registration include: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, *North Dakota (no voter registration), Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin

open primary

Top two open primary:

Top two open primaries are currently used for statewide elections in Washington, California and for state legislature in Nebraska. In this type of election, there is no Republican primary or Democratic primary. There is one primary, run by the state, with all candidates and all parties (or no party) listed. Every voter can participate and vote for every candidate, regardless of party. The top-two vote getters move on to the general Election.

States with a top two open primary: California, Washington, *Nebraska (state legislative races only)

open primary

Top 4 open primary:

Similar to the top two and currently only used in Alaska (in combination with ranked choice voting), in the top four open primary there is no Republican primary or Democratic primary. There is one primary, run by the state, with all candidates and all parties (or no party) listed. Every voter can participate and vote for every candidate, regardless of party. The top-four vote getters move on to the general election.

States with a top four open primary: Alaska

Runoff primary

Runoff primary:

This system eliminates the primary election altogether. Instead, all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, run on the same ballot in November. If a candidate receives more than half of the votes, that candidate is elected. If no candidate wins with a majority, the top two vote-getters face off in a December runoff election.

States with a runoff primary: Louisiana

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