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Top-four primary
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A top-four primary is a type of primary election where all candidates are listed on the same ballot. Voters are allowed to choose one candidate per office regardless of the candidate's party affiliation. The top four vote-getters advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliations. Consequently, it is possible for four candidates belonging to the same political party to win in a top-four primary and face off in the general election.[1]
Top-four primaries are similar to top-two primaries. As of September 2025, five states used top-two style primaries for at least some or all congressional and statewide primaries. Alaska was the only state that used a top-four system.
Usage
On November 3 2020, Alaska voters approved a ballot initiative establishing a top-four primary for state executive, state legislative, and congressional elections. The initiative also established ranked-choice voting for general elections for the aforementioned offices and the presidency. Under Alaska's top-four primary system, all candidates for a given office run in a single primary election. The top four vote-getters, regardless of partisan affiliation, then advance to the general election.[2]
Click here to learn about other states that use a similar system for some or all congressional and statewide primaries.
See also
- Primary election
- Primary election types by state
- State primary election types
- Open primary
- Closed primary
- Semi-closed primary
- Top-two primary
- Blanket primary
- Jungle primary
Footnotes
