Primary election vote requirements by state
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Methods for tallying votes to determine a primary election's outcome include plurality counts and majority counts.
In plurality systems, the candidate who wins the largest share of the vote wins the election. The candidate need not win an outright majority to advance from the primary. These systems are sometimes referred to as first-past-the-post or winner-take-all. Top-two primaries and other versions of this system, such as top-four or top-five, are a specific type of plurality system where all candidates are listed on the same ballot, regardless of party, and a pre-determined number of the highest vote-getters advance to the general election.
In majority systems, a candidate must win more than 50 percent of the vote in order to win election and advance from a primary. In the event that no candidate wins an outright majority, a runoff election is held between the top two vote-getters. For this reason, majority systems are sometimes referred to as two-round systems. Ranked-choice voting is a specific type of majority voting system that may also be used in primary elections.[1][2]
This article details primary election vote requirements by state for state-level and congressional primary elections.[3][4]
Primary vote requirements by state
The map and table below detail primary election vote requirements by state.
| State | Vote requirement |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Majority |
| Alaska | Top-four for state executive, state legislative, and congressional offices |
| Arizona | Plurality |
| Arkansas | Majority |
| California | Top-two |
| Colorado | Plurality |
| Connecticut | Plurality |
| Delaware | Plurality |
| Florida | Plurality |
| Georgia | Majority |
| Hawaii | Plurality |
| Idaho | Plurality |
| Illinois | Plurality |
| Indiana | Plurality |
| Iowa | Plurality |
| Kansas | Plurality |
| Kentucky | Plurality |
| Louisiana[4] | Majority for party primary offices, for all other offices, see: Louisiana majority-vote system[5] |
| Maine | Majority (RCV) |
| Maryland | Plurality |
| Massachusetts | Plurality |
| Michigan | Plurality |
| Minnesota | Plurality |
| Mississippi | Majority |
| Missouri | Plurality |
| Montana | Plurality |
| Nebraska | Plurality[6] |
| Nevada | Plurality |
| New Hampshire | Plurality |
| New Jersey | Plurality |
| New Mexico | Plurality |
| New York | Plurality |
| North Carolina | Plurality (40% threshold) |
| North Dakota | Plurality |
| Ohio | Plurality |
| Oklahoma | Majority |
| Oregon | Plurality |
| Pennsylvania | Plurality |
| Rhode Island | Plurality |
| South Carolina | Majority |
| South Dakota | Plurality (35% threshold for congressional and gubernatorial contests) |
| Tennessee | Plurality |
| Texas | Majority |
| Utah | Plurality |
| Vermont | Plurality |
| Virginia | Plurality |
| Washington | Top-two |
| West Virginia | Plurality |
| Wisconsin | Plurality |
| Wyoming | Plurality |
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See also
- Plurality voting system
- Majority voting system
- Top-two primary
- Ranked-choice voting
- Primary election types by state
- State legislative primary runoffs
Footnotes
- ↑ FairVote, "Electoral Systems," accessed January 22, 2025
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," accessed January 22, 2025
- ↑ Ballotpedia staff compiled this information after consulting the relevant state statutes and election agencies.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Louisiana utilizes a two-round electoral system in which the names of all eligible candidates are printed on the general election ballot. If a candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote in the general election, he or she is elected. If no candidate wins an outright majority in the general election, a runoff election is held between the top two vote-getters. Ballotpedia refers to Louisiana's electoral system as the Louisiana majority-vote system. On January 22, 2024, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry (R) signed HB17 into law, creating closed partisan primaries and primary runoffs for Congress, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, the Louisiana Public Service Commission and Louisiana Supreme Court beginning in 2026.
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "How are Candidates Elected?" accessed November 12, 2025
- ↑ Nebraska uses a top-two primary system for state legislative elections. Nebraska's state legislature is unicameral and nonpartisan.
