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A closed primary is a type of primary where only registered party members or voters affiliated with a party are allowed to vote. This includes states where a voter may be able to change their affiliation on the day of the primary.

Some states require political parties to conduct closed primaries by law, while others allow parties some discretion to set their own primary rules and parties may hold a closed primary.

As of September 2025:

In 13 states, state law requires closed primaries for congressional or state-level offices by law.

In 23 states, at least one major political party conducts closed primaries for congressional or state-level offices.

For information on voter participation rules for the 2024 presidential primaries and caucuses, see see here.

• Closed primaries in use by state

  States where the Democratic or Republican party conducts a closed primary
  Read more
• Laws requiring closed primaries

  State laws that require parties to conduct closed primaries
  Read more
• Support and opposition

  Abbreviated arguments in support and opposition to closed primaries
  Read more

Closed primaries in use by state

In 23 states, at least one political party conducts closed primaries for congressional and state-level offices. The map and table below identify states in which at least one political party uses closed primaries for congressional and state-level elections. Hover over a state for additional details.

States where at least one political party uses closed primaries for congressional and state-level elections

State	Closed primaries	Notes
Connecticut	Yes	Connecticut state law gives parties discretion to determine participation rules. Both the Democratic and Republican parties operate a closed primary.
Delaware	Yes
Florida	Yes
Idaho	Republican Party	Idaho state law gives parties discretion to determine participation rules. The Republican Party operates a closed primary.
Illinois	Yes	A voter must declare their affiliation at the polls to vote a partisan primary ballot. However, any voter is able to choose their affiliation at the polls on the day of the primary. Their ballot choice may be considered as registering with that party. Although state law requires voters to be affiliated to vote in a partisan primary, Illinois does not record a voter's affiliation as part of their registration record.
Indiana	Yes	State law stipulates that, in order to participate in a party's primary, a voter must have either voted for a majority of that party's nominees in the last general election or must intend to vote for a majority of the party's nominees in the upcoming general election. Although state law requires voters to be affiliated to vote in a partisan primary, Indiana does not record a voter's affiliation as part of their registration record.
Iowa	Yes	Iowa law stipulates that only registered party members can vote in a party's primary, however Section 43.42 of the Iowa Code stipulates that a voter may change his or her party affiliation at the polls on primary day and vote in the primary of a party other than the one to which he or she formerly belonged. Although state law requires voters to be affiliated to vote in a partisan primary, Iowa does not record a voter's affiliation as part of their registration record.
Kansas	Republican Party	Kansas state law gives parties discretion to determine participation rules. The Republican Party operates an closed primary.
Kentucky	Yes
Maryland	Yes	Maryland state law gives parties discretion to determine participation rules. Both the Democratic and Republican parties operate a closed primary.
Nebraska	Republican Party	Primary participation rules in Nebraska vary by office type. State law grants parties discretion to determine participation rules for primaries whose rules are not otherwise set by state law. The Republican Party operates a closed primary for these offices. Regardless of party rules, an unaffiliated voter is allowed to vote in the primary election of their choice for the office of United States Senator or United States Representative.
Nevada	Yes
New York	Yes
New Jersey	Yes	A previously unaffiliated voter can participate in the primary of his or her choice by affiliating with a party on the day of the election. Otherwise, a voter must indicate his or her party preference (e.g., via an updated voter registration) no later than the 55th day preceding the primary in order to vote in that party's primary.
Ohio	Yes	State law requires a voter to be affiliated with a party to vote in that party's primary, however a voter of any affiliation can choose the ballot they would like to vote on the day of the primary and their choice may be regarded as registration with that party. Although state law requires voters to be affiliated to vote in a partisan primary, Ohio does not record a voter's affiliation as part of their registration record.
Oklahoma	Republican Party	Oklahoma state law gives parties discretion to determine participation rules. The Republican Party operates a closed primary.
Oregon	Yes	Oregon state law gives parties discretion to determine participation rules. Both the Democratic and Republican parties operate a closed primary.
Pennsylvania	Yes
South Dakota	Republican Party	South Dakota state law gives parties discretion to determine participation rules. The Republican Party operates a closed primary.
Tennessee	Yes	State law requires a voter to be a "bona fide member of and affiliated with the political party" to vote in a party's primary. Although state law requires voters to be affiliated to vote in a partisan primary, Tennessee does not record a voter's affiliation as part of their registration record.
Utah	Republican Party	Utah state law gives parties discretion to determine participation rules. The Republican Party operates a closed primary.
West Virginia	Republican Party	West Virginia state law gives parties discretion to determine participation rules. The Republican Party operates a closed primary.
Wyoming	Yes

Laws requiring closed primaries

Laws in 13 states requires political parties to conduct a primary in which any voter may participate without affiliating with that party. See the map and table below for more information.

State laws requiring closed primaries

State	Statute	Notes
Delaware	Del. Code Ann. tit. 15, § 3110	To vote in a partisan primary, a voter must affiliate with that party any time before the last Saturday in May before the primary.
Florida	Fla. Stat. § 101.021	To vote in a partisan primary, a voter must affiliate with a party 29 days before the primary.
Illinois	Ill. Rev. Stat. ch. 10, § 5/7–44	A voter must declare their affiliation at the polls to vote a partisan primary ballot. However, any voter is able to choose their affiliation at the polls on the day of the primary. Their ballot choice may be considered as registering with that party.
Indiana	Ind. Code § 3–10–1–6	State law says that voters can only vote in a party's primary if they voted for a majority of that party’s candidates in the last general election or plan to in the upcoming election, thereby requiring affiliation. However, it is possible for any voter to vote in any party's primary so long as they meet this criteria.
Iowa	Iowa Code § 43.42	Any voter can affiliate or change their affiliation on the day of the primary, however state law requires the voter to be affiliated with a party to vote in its primary.
Kentucky	Ky. Rev. Stat. § 116.055	A voter must affiliate with a party by December 31 preceding a primary election to vote in a partisan primary.
Nevada	Nev. Rev. Stat. § 293.287	A voter must be affiliated with a party to participate in their primary. However, a voter can affiliate or change party affiliation on day of the primary.
New Jersey	N.J. Rev. Stat. § 19:23–45	An unaffiliated voter can affiliate on the day of the primary and vote in the primary of their choice. They are then considered registered with that party and must change their affiliation before voting in another party's primary.
New York	N.Y. Election Law § 17–102	A voter has until February 14th before a primary to change or affiliate with a party.
Ohio	Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 3513.19	State law requires a voter to be affiliated with a party to vote in that party's primary, however a voter of any affiliation can choose the ballot they would like to vote on the day of the primary and their choice may be regarded as registration with that party.
Pennsylvania	Pa. Stat. tit. 25, § 299	A voter has until 15 days prior to a primary to affiliate or change their affiliation with a party and vote in that party's primary.
Tennessee	Tenn. Code Ann. § 2–7–115	Although voters do not register with a party affiliation, state law requires a voter to be a "bona fide member of and affiliated with the political party" to vote in a party's primary.
Wyoming	Wyo. Stat. § 22–5–209 et seq.	An elector has until the 96th day before a primary to affiliate or change their party affiliation.

Support and opposition

The following quotes briefly summarize arguments for and against closed primaries. For detailed support and opposition arguments from a variety of sources, see this page .

Arguments for and against closed primaries

Support

Opposition

"Political parties at every level of government choose their nominees through primaries. That's the most important decision a party can make—and an organization's most important decisions should be made by members of that organization. Joining a political party in the United States is a pretty simple procedure. ... Allowing Independents and Republicans to select the Democrats' next nominees, or some other combination, is a good way to destroy a party and its meaning." -Seth Masket, University of Denver and the Pacific Standard (2018)

"We have had primary elections to select nominees for general elections at the local, state and federal level for more than a century. They began as an alternative to having party bosses at each level simply name the candidates they wanted. As the system has evolved, however, primaries have come to be dominated by ideological partisans who please the more agenda-driven elements in either party who are the most likely to participate in primaries. There is comparatively little incentive to reach out to voters who might fall somewhere between the two parties." -Ron Elving, NPR (2022)

Recent legislation related to primaries

The table below includes state legislation related to primaries introduced during (or carried over to) the current year's legislative session. The following information is included for each bill:

• State
• Bill number
• Official bill name or caption
• Most recent action date
• Legislative status
• Sponsor party
• Topics dealt with by the bill

Bills are organized by state and then by most recent action. The table displays up to 100 results. To view more bills, use the arrows in the upper-right corner. Clicking on a bill will open its page on Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.

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See also

• Primary election
• Primary election types by state
• State primary election types
• Closed primary
• Semi-closed primary
• Top-two primary
• Top-four primary
• Blanket primary
• Jungle primary

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