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Primary elections in California
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Primary elections allow voters to determine which candidates compete in the general election and can be nonpartisan or partisan. In partisan primaries, voters choose the candidates they prefer for a political party to nominate in the general election.
The laws governing primary elections vary from state to state and can even vary within states by locality and political party. For example, only registered party members are allowed to vote in closed primaries, while registered party members and unaffiliated voters are allowed to vote in semi-closed primaries, and all voters are allowed to vote in open primaries.
Primary elections also vary by the way their outcomes are determined. Majority systems require the winning candidate to receive at least fifty percent of the votes cast, while plurality systems do not. In top-two primaries, top-four primaries, and blanket primaries, all candidates are listed on the same ballot, regardless of partisan affiliation.
See the sections below for general information on the use of primary elections in the United States and specific information on the types of primaries held in California:
- BackgroundThe different types of primary election participation models used in the United States, and details about methods to determine the outcomes of primaries.
- Primary election systems used in CaliforniaPrimary election systems used in California, including primaries for congressional and state-level offices.
- State legislation and ballot measuresState legislation and ballot measures relevant to primary election policy in California.
Background
In general, there are two broad criteria by which primary elections can vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction:
1. Rules of participation: In jurisdictions that conduct partisan primaries, who can vote in a party's primary? Is participation limited to registered party members, or can other eligible voters (such as unaffiliated voters or voters belonging to other parties) participate? In general, there are three basic types of primary election participation models: open primaries, closed primaries, and semi-closed primaries. Several states also use a top-two primary or a variant of that system.
- In closed primaries only registered party members are allowed to vote.
- In semi-closed primaries, registered party members and unaffiliated voters are allowed to vote.
- In open primaries, all voters are allowed to vote.
- In top-two primaries, top-four primaries, and blanket primaries, all candidates are listed on the same ballot, regardless of partisan affiliation and voters may vote for candidates from more than one party.
2. Vote requirements: What share of the total votes cast does a candidate have to receive in order to advance to the general election? Methods for determining primary election outcomes include plurality voting systems ans majority voting systems. Two states, California and Washington, use top-two primaries, while one, Alaska, uses a top-four primary. Both are plurality systems. Maine use ranked-choice voting for some primaries, which is a majority system.
Primary election systems used in California
Congressional and state-level elections
In 23 states, at least one political party utilizes closed primaries to nominate partisan candidates for congressional and state-level (e.g. state legislators, governors, etc.) offices. In 19 states, at least one party utilizes open primaries to nominate partisan candidates for these offices. In 12 states, at least one party utilizes semi-closed primaries. In 5 states, top-two primaries or a variation are used.[1] These state primaries are a separate entity and are not included in the totals for open, closed, or semi-closed primaries.
California utilizes a top-two primary system. In a top-two primary system, all candidates are listed on the same ballot. The top two vote-getters, regardless of their partisan affiliations, advance to the general election. Consequently, it is possible that two candidates belonging to the same political party could win in a top-two primary and face off in the general election. The top-two primary system was adopted in California as the result of a 2010 ballot measure. Any registered voter may participate in the primary and vote for any candidate, regardless of his or her partisan affiliation.[2] Article II, section 5 of the California Constitution says: "All voters may vote at a voter-nominated primary election for any candidate for congressional and state elective office without regard to the political party preference disclosed by the candidate or the voter, provided that the voter is otherwise qualified to vote for candidates for the office in question. The candidates who are the top two vote-getters at a voter-nominated primary election for a congressional or state elective office shall, regardless of party preference, compete in the ensuing general election."[3]
The table below lists congressional and state-level California offices for which parties must conduct primary elections to nominate their candidates.
| Office | Number of seats |
|---|---|
| United States Senators | 2 |
| United States Representatives | 53 |
| State legislators | 120 |
Noteworthy events
2020
On September 18, 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom (D) signed SB 970 into law, moving California's primary elections for congressional and state-level offices in midterm (i.e., non-presidential) election years to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June. The modification did not apply to presidential election years.[4]
2017
On September 15, 2017, the California State Assembly approved SB 568, moving California's primary elections for both presidential and congressional/state-level offices from the first Monday in June to the first Tuesday following the first Monday in March. The Assembly adopted the bill by a vote of 55-21, with three members not voting. On September 16, 2017, the California State Senate followed suit, approving the bill by a vote of 26-10, with four members not voting. Governor Jerry Brown signed the bill into law on September 27, 2017. The law took effect on January 1, 2019.[5][6]
Proponents of SB 568 argued that, by moving the state's presidential preference primary from June to March, California voters would be better positioned to have an impact on the presidential candidate nominating process. State Senator Ricardo Lara (D) said, "It's time for Californians to have a louder vote about who is going to lead our country." Opponents of SB 568 contended that moving the primary from June to March would have a negative impact on prospective challengers to incumbent politicians because candidates would have to file for ballot access in December of the year preceding the election. State Assemblyman Matthew Harper (R) said, "Some of you may love that, but I don't think it's right for the voters. I think it's incredibly short-sighted."[7][8]
State legislation and ballot measures
The table below lists bills related to primary elections that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in California. 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 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.
Primary systems ballot measures
Since 2017, Ballotpedia has tracked the following ballot measure(s) relating to primary elections in California.
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Top-two primary systems, such as those utilized in California, Nebraska, and Washington, and variations of those systems, such as the top-four system used in Alaska and the majority-vote system used in Louisiana, are sometimes classified as open primary systems because voter participation in such primaries is not tied to partisan affiliation. For the purposes of this article, these primaries are considered to be a separate entity. For more information about top-two primaries and their variations, see this article.
- ↑ California Secretary of State, "Primary Elections in California," accessed August 13, 2025
- ↑ California Legislative Information, "California Constitution, Article II, Section 5," accessed August 13, 2025
- ↑ California Legislative Information, "SB-970 Primary election date," accessed September 29, 2020
- ↑ California Legislative Information, "SB-568 Primary elections: election date." accessed September 18, 2017
- ↑ Ballot Access News, "California Governor Signs Bill Moving All Primaries from June to Early March," September 27, 2017
- ↑ The Los Angeles Times, "California's Democratic lawmakers have a plan for thwarting President Trump in the 2020 presidential primary," September 15, 2017
- ↑ Ballot Access News, "California Legislature Passes Bill Moving Primaries to March," September 16, 2017
