Open primary

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An open primary is a primary election in which any registered voter can vote in any party's primary. Voters choose which primary to vote in; they do not have to be members of that party in order to vote.[1]

Generally, a registered voter will simply select a party's ballot at the polling place on the day of the primary.[2]

Nominees for elected offices at all levels are chosen by party organizations in a variety of ways, including primary elections, caucuses, and conventions. The precise method of choosing nominees can vary significantly between states, and even within states for different offices. For example, nominees for state-level offices may be selected at primaries or conventions, while presidential nominees may be chosen by delegates selected at primaries or caucuses.

Usage

Presidential primaries and caucuses

See also: Important dates in the 2016 presidential race

The states listed below utilize open primaries/caucuses for presidential nominating contests.[3]

  • Alabama
  • Arkansas
  • California (Democrats, American Independents, and Libertarians only)[4]
  • Georgia
  • Idaho (Democrats only)
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah (Democrats only)
  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • Washington (Democrats only)
  • Wisconsin

Correlations with 2016 primary and caucus winners

The tables below correlate the winners of each 2016 nominating contest with the type of contest (open, closed, or mixed). Hillary Clinton outperformed Bernie Sanders in open Democratic primaries and caucuses, winning 13 of 23. Donald Trump similarly outperformed his rivals in open Republican contests, winning 13 of 18. Meanwhile, Clinton won 17 of the 26 closed Democratic primaries and caucuses. Trump won 19 of the 28 closed Republican contests, edging out Ted Cruz, who won eight closed contests (Marco Rubio won the remaining closed contest).

Winners of 2016 primaries and caucuses correlated with primary type
Candidate Open contest Closed contest Mixed contest Total
Democrats
Clinton 13 17 4 34
Sanders 10 9 3 22
TOTALS 23 26 7 56
Republicans
Trump 13 19 4 36
Cruz 2 8 0 10
Kasich 1 0 0 1
Rubio 2 1 0 3
TOTALS 18 28 4 50

For a full list of primaries and caucuses by winner and contest type, click "[show]" on the table below.

Congressional primaries

As of January 2016, the states listed below utilized an open primary process for congressional elections. Variations are noted in the text alongside each state name. Note that the type of primary utilized for congressional elections in a given state may differ from the type of primary conducted for presidential races. For information about presidential primaries, see below.

  • Alabama[5]
  • Arkansas[6]
  • Georgia: On Election Day, voters must declare an oath of intent to affiliate with the particular party they are voting for.[7]
  • Hawaii: Voters may not participate in more than one party primary.[8]
  • Idaho: Democrats only
  • Illinois: Voters declare their party affiliation to a judge at the polling place.[9]
  • Indiana: According to FairVote, "A voter must have voted in the last general election for a majority of the nominees of the party holding the primary, or if that voter did not vote in the last general election, that voter must vote for a majority of the nominees of that party who is holding the primary. However, there is really no way to enforce this, and cross-over occurs often."[10][11]
  • Michigan: Though each primary ballot contains sections for two parties, voters may only vote in one party's section.[12]
  • Minnesota[13]
  • Mississippi[14]
  • Missouri[15]
  • Montana[16]
  • North Dakota[17]
  • Ohio: A voter is not required to register with a party before voting in that party's primary. Instead, a voter selects his or her preferred party primary ballot at the polling place on Election Day.[10][18]
  • South Carolina: Voters must take an oath affirming that they have not voted in another party's primary.[19]
  • Tennessee: Voters must affiliate with a party at the primary polling location or declare their allegiance to the party.[20]
  • Texas[21]
  • Vermont[22]
  • Virginia[23]
  • Wisconsin[24]

Arguments for and against

According to FairVote, open primaries can lead to more centrist candidates being selected. As members of one party may cross over to vote in the other party's primary, they often vote for the candidate they consider least objectionable. Thus, Democrats voting in Republican primaries would vote for the most moderate Republican candidate and vice versa, leading to both parties having more centrist nominees in the general election.[25]

In some cases, one party's voters may try to coordinate to vote for a less electable candidate in the opposing party's primary. If successful, "party crashing" voters could improve their own party's chances by selecting a weaker opponent for the opposing party in the general election. Critics of open primaries argue that they violate political parties' freedom of association.[25][26]

See also

Presidential Elections-2016-badge.png

Footnotes

  1. ↑ MTV Rock the Vote, "Terms and Definitions," accessed January 15, 2016
  2. ↑ How Stuff Works, "Types of Primaries," accessed April 27, 2012
  3. ↑ FairVote, "Who Can Vote in Presidential Primaries?" accessed March 9, 2016
  4. ↑ California Secretary of State, "No Party Preference Information," accessed June 9, 2016
  5. ↑ FindLaw, "Ala. Code § 17-13- 7," accessed January 14, 2016
  6. ↑ Justia, "§ 7-7-308," accessed January 14, 2016
  7. ↑ Justia, "§ 21-2-224," accessed January 14, 2016
  8. ↑ Hawaii State Legislature, " §12-31," accessed January 14, 2016
  9. ↑ Illinois General Assembly, "Sec. 7-43.," accessed January 14, 2016
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 FairVote, "Primaries," accessed January 14, 2016
  11. ↑ FindLaw, "Ind. Code § 3-10-1-9," accessed January 14, 2016
  12. ↑ Michigan Legislature, "Mich. Comp. Laws § 168.575; Public Act 163," accessed January 14, 2016
  13. ↑ Minnesota Revisor of Statutes, "204D.08," accessed January 14, 2016
  14. ↑ Justia, "§ 23-15-575," accessed January 14, 2016
  15. ↑ Justia, "Section 115.397," accessed January 14, 2016
  16. ↑ FindLaw, "§ 13-10-301," accessed January 14, 2016
  17. ↑ Justia, "N.D. Cent. Code, § 40-21-06," accessed January 14, 2016
  18. ↑ Ohio Revised Code, "3513.19," accessed January 14, 2016
  19. ↑ South Carolina Legislature, "Title 7 - Elections," accessed January 14, 2016
  20. ↑ Justia, "2-2-102," accessed January 14, 2016
  21. ↑ Texas Legislature, "§ 172.086," accessed January 14, 2016
  22. ↑ Vermont Secretary of State, "Vermont Election Laws," accessed January 14, 2016
  23. ↑ Virginia Decoded, "§ 24.2-530," accessed January 14, 2016
  24. ↑ Wisconsin Legislature, "Wis. Stat. § 6.80," accessed January 14, 2016
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 FairVote.org, "Congressional and Presidential Primaries: Open, Closed, Semi-Closed, and 'Top Two,'" accessed April 27, 2012
  26. ↑ The Daily Beast, "Some Suspect Foul Play in S.C. Primary," June 11, 2010
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This article is curated by the Public Policy Desk:
 Jerrick Adams • Sarah Groat • Taylor Kempema • Adam Vaughn
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