NEBRASKA
Open Primares Research:
New York, NY- September 30, 2015 – Open Primaries released a new report examining the results of Nebraska’s adoption of a single, nonpartisan primary election system.
The Myth of the Red State: Policy Over Party in the Nebraska State Capitol demonstrates that while Congress and many state legislatures have fallen prey to partisanship and dysfunction, the Nebraska political system is working.
Primaries:
- State legislature primaries: nonpartisan, Top Two
- Democratic state and local primaries: closed
- Republican state and local primaries: closed
- Democratic congressional primaries: open
- Republican congressional primaries: open
- Democratic Presidential primary: mixed
- Republican Presidential primary: mixed
Registration:
- Voters may or may not choose to affiliate with a political party, however, affiliation with a party is required to vote in certain primary elections.
- 22% of voters in Nebraska are registered as nonpartisan.
Details of voting in congressional and state primary elections:
- Nebraska has a nonpartisan, unicameral state legislature, so elections for state legislator use a nonpartisan, Top Two system.
- Voters must register with a party to participate in partisan state and local races (eg, Governor, City Council, etc.)
- Voters do not need to be registered with a party to vote in congressional party primaries.