Primary Types and Delegate Rules by State
Use this guide to compare state primary election types, understand how presidential primaries differ from state primaries, and jump to state pages with delegate allocation details and source links.
Last reviewed: July 26, 2026. Primary election type and delegate rule information is summarized from the source links listed on this page. Confirm final rules, deadlines, and party procedures with the listed official sources.
Primary Election Type Comparison
Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election. The main difference between a caucus and a primary is that a caucus involves face-to-face interaction between voters, where voters can try to persuade one another to vote for (or against) a certain candidate.
| State or territory | Open | Closed | Partially Open | Partially Closed | Open to Unaffiliated | All-Comers | Nonpartisan | Top-Two | Top-Four |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Yes | ||||||||
| Alaska | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| American Samoa | Yes | ||||||||
| Arizona | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| Arkansas | Yes | ||||||||
| California | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| Colorado | Yes | ||||||||
| Connecticut | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| Delaware | Yes | ||||||||
| Florida | Yes | ||||||||
| Georgia | Yes | ||||||||
| Guam | Yes | ||||||||
| Hawaii | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| Idaho | Yes | ||||||||
| Illinois | Yes | ||||||||
| Indiana | Yes | ||||||||
| Iowa | Yes | ||||||||
| Kansas | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| Kentucky | Yes | ||||||||
| Louisiana | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
| Maine | Yes | ||||||||
| Maryland | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| Massachusetts | Yes | ||||||||
| Michigan | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| Minnesota | Yes | ||||||||
| Mississippi | Yes | ||||||||
| Missouri | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| Montana | Yes | ||||||||
| Nebraska | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||||||
| Nevada | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| New Hampshire | Yes | ||||||||
| New Jersey | Yes | ||||||||
| New Mexico | Yes | ||||||||
| New York | Yes | ||||||||
| North Carolina | Yes | ||||||||
| North Dakota | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| Northern Marianas | Yes | ||||||||
| Ohio | Yes | ||||||||
| Oklahoma | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| Oregon | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| Pennsylvania | Yes | ||||||||
| Puerto Rico | Yes | ||||||||
| Rhode Island | Yes | ||||||||
| South Carolina | Yes | ||||||||
| South Dakota | Yes | ||||||||
| Tennessee | Yes | ||||||||
| Texas | Yes | ||||||||
| Utah | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| Vermont | Yes | ||||||||
| Virgin Islands | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| Virginia | Yes | ||||||||
| Washington | Yes | Yes | |||||||
| Washington DC | Yes | ||||||||
| West Virginia | Yes | ||||||||
| Wisconsin | Yes | ||||||||
| Wyoming | Yes |
Open Primaries
Some states do not ask voters to choose parties on the voter registration form. These are called 'open primary' states. Voters may choose privately in which primary to vote. In other words, voters may choose which party’s ballot to vote, but this decision is private and does not register the voter with that party. This permits a voter to cast a vote across party lines for the primary election.
States With Open Primaries
| State | Primary election contests |
|---|---|
| Alabama | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican state ; Republican presidential |
| Arkansas | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican state ; Republican presidential |
| Georgia | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential ; Republican state |
| Guam | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential ; Republican state |
| Hawaii | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican state |
| Michigan | Democratic state ; Republican state |
| Minnesota | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential ; Republican state |
| Mississippi | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential ; Republican state |
| Missouri | Democratic state ; Republican state |
| Montana | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential ; Republican state |
| Nebraska | Democratic state ; Republican state ; Democratic congressional ; Republican congressional |
| North Dakota | Democratic state ; Republican state ; Democratic presidential |
| Puerto Rico | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential ; Republican state |
| South Carolina | Democratic state ; Republican state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
| Texas | Democratic state ; Republican presidential ; Democratic presidential ; Republican state |
| Vermont | Democratic state ; Republican state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
| Virgin Islands | Democratic state ; Republican state |
| Virginia | Democratic state ; Republican state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
| Wisconsin | Democratic state ; Republican state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
Closed Primaries
A voter seeking to vote in a closed primary must first be a registered party member. Only registered members of a given party are allowed to vote in that party primaries. Independent or unaffiliated voters, by definition, are excluded from participating in the party nomination contests.
States With Closed Primaries
| State | Primary election contests |
|---|---|
| Alaska | Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
| American Samoa | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential ; Republican state |
| Arizona | Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
| Connecticut | Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
| Delaware | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential ; Republican state |
| Florida | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential ; Republican state |
| Hawaii | Republican presidential |
| Kansas | Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
| Kentucky | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential ; Republican state |
| Louisiana | Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
| Maryland | Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
| Michigan | Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
| Missouri | Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
| Nevada | Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
| New Jersey | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential ; Republican state |
| New York | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican state ; Republican presidential |
| North Dakota | Republican presidential |
| Northern Marianas | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential ; Republican state |
| Oklahoma | Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
| Oregon | Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
| Pennsylvania | Democratic state ; Republican state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
| Tennessee | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential ; Republican state |
| Utah | Republican presidential |
| Virgin Islands | Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
| Washington DC | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential ; Republican state |
| Wyoming | Democratic state ; Republican state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
Partially Closed Primaries
State law permits political parties to choose whether to allow unaffiliated voters or voters not registered with the party to participate in their nominating contests before each election cycle. In Partially Closed Primary system, parties may let in unaffiliated voters, while still excluding members of opposing parties.
States With Partially Closed Primaries
| State | Primary election contests |
|---|---|
| California | Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
| Connecticut | Democratic state ; Republican state |
| Idaho | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential ; Republican state |
| Kansas | Democratic state ; Republican state |
| Maryland | Democratic state ; Republican state |
| Oklahoma | Democratic state ; Republican state |
| Oregon | Democratic state ; Republican state |
| South Dakota | Democratic state ; Republican state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
| Utah | Democratic state ; Republican state ; Democratic presidential |
| Washington | Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
| West Virginia | Democratic state ; Republican state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
Partially Open Primaries
The Partially Open Primary system allows voters to cross party lines, but they must either publicly declare their ballot choice or their ballot selection may be regarded as a form of registration with the corresponding party.
States With Partially Open Primaries
| State | Primary election contests |
|---|---|
| Illinois | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential ; Republican state |
| Indiana | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential ; Republican state |
| Iowa | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential ; Republican state |
| Nebraska | Republican presidential ; Democratic presidential |
| Nevada | Democratic state ; Republican state |
| Ohio | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican state ; Republican presidential |
Open to Unaffiliated Voters
In this system, unaffiliated voters can choose to participate in any party primary they want to vote in, but voters affiliated with other parties may not cross over. This system differs from a true open primary because a Democrat cannot cross over and vote in a Republican party primary, or vice versa.
States With Open to Unaffiliated Voters Primaries
| State | Primary election contests |
|---|---|
| Arizona | Democratic state ; Republican state |
| Colorado | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential ; Republican state |
| Louisiana | Democratic congressional ; Republican congressional ; Democratic state covered offices ; Republican state covered offices |
| Maine | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential ; Republican state |
| Massachusetts | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential ; Republican state |
| New Hampshire | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican state ; Republican presidential |
| New Mexico | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican state ; Republican presidential |
| North Carolina | Democratic state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential ; Republican state |
| Rhode Island | Democratic state ; Republican state ; Democratic presidential ; Republican presidential |
All-Comers Primaries
An all-comers primary lists all candidates for an office on the same ballot, regardless of party. All eligible voters may vote in the election, and a candidate who receives the required majority can win outright; otherwise the top candidates advance to a runoff or general election under state law.
States With All-comers Primaries
| State | Primary election contests |
|---|---|
| Louisiana | Democratic state ; Republican state |
Nonpartisan Primaries
A nonpartisan primary does not nominate candidates by political party. Candidates appear without party nomination, and the primary narrows the field for the general election under state law.
States With Nonpartisan Primaries
| State | Primary election contests |
|---|---|
| Nebraska | Nonpartisan state legislature |
Top-Two Primaries
The “top two” system uses a common ballot, listing all candidates on the same ballot. The top two vote getters in each race, regardless of party, advance to the general election.
States With Top-two Primaries
| State | Primary election contests |
|---|---|
| California | Democratic state ; Republican state |
| Washington | Democratic state ; Republican state |
Top-Four Primaries
The "Top four" system is used to determine the top four vote getters that will advance to the General Election, regardless of political affiliation. In accordance with state’s laws, a primary election candidate does not have to be a member of a political party or a political group, to run for office.
States With Top-four Primaries
| State | Primary election contests |
|---|---|
| Alaska | Democratic state ; Republican state |
About These Rules
This page contains primary election rules and presidential primary delegate allocation information for states and U.S. territories. Primary voting rules and delegate allocation usually apply to statewide partisan primary elections. Check with your local election office for current guidance because rules, dates, and party procedures can change.