Primary and Caucus
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 & Presidential Primary Election Types
| Open Primaries | Closed Primaries | Partially Open | Partially Closed | Open to Unaffiliated | Top-Two | Top-Four | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | X | ||||||
| Alaska | X | X | |||||
| American Samoa | X | ||||||
| Arizona | X | X | |||||
| Arkansas | X | ||||||
| California | X | X | |||||
| Colorado | X | ||||||
| Connecticut | X | X | |||||
| Delaware | X | ||||||
| Florida | X | ||||||
| Georgia | X | ||||||
| Guam | X | ||||||
| Hawaii | X | X | |||||
| Idaho | X | ||||||
| Illinois | X | ||||||
| Indiana | X | ||||||
| Iowa | X | ||||||
| Kansas | X | X | |||||
| Kentucky | X | ||||||
| Louisiana | X | X | |||||
| Maine | X | ||||||
| Maryland | X | ||||||
| Massachusetts | X | ||||||
| Michigan | X | X | |||||
| Minnesota | X | ||||||
| Mississippi | X | ||||||
| Missouri | X | X | |||||
| Montana | X | ||||||
| Nebraska | X | X | X | ||||
| Nevada | X | ||||||
| New Hampshire | X | ||||||
| New Jersey | X | ||||||
| New Mexico | X | ||||||
| New York | X | ||||||
| North Carolina | X | ||||||
| North Dakota | X | X | |||||
| Northern Marianas | X | ||||||
| Ohio | X | ||||||
| Oklahoma | X | X | |||||
| Oregon | X | ||||||
| Pennsylvania | X | ||||||
| Puerto Rico | X | ||||||
| Rhode Island | X | ||||||
| South Carolina | X | ||||||
| South Dakota | X | ||||||
| Tennessee | X | ||||||
| Texas | X | ||||||
| Utah | X | X | |||||
| Vermont | X | ||||||
| Virgin Islands | X | X | |||||
| Virginia | X | ||||||
| Washington | X | X | |||||
| Washington DC | X | ||||||
| West Virginia | X | ||||||
| Wisconsin | X | ||||||
| Wyoming | X |
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 Primary Type
| State | Primary Election |
|---|---|
| Mississippi | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| Arkansas | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-State ; Republican-Presidential |
| Wisconsin | Democratic-State ; Republican-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential |
| Montana | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| Virgin Islands | Democratic-State ; Republican-State |
| Massachusetts | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| Hawaii | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| South Carolina | Democratic-State ; Republican-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential |
| Guam | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential |
| Georgia | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| Puerto Rico | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| Tennessee | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| Texas | Democratic-State ; Republican-Presidential ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| Missouri | Democratic-State ; Republican-State |
| Alabama | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-State ; Republican-Presidential |
| Minnesota | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| Virginia | Democratic-State ; Republican-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential |
| Nebraska | Democratic-congressional ; Republican-congressional |
| Michigan | Democratic-State ; Republican-State |
| Vermont | Democratic-State ; Republican-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential |
| North Dakota | Democratic-State ; Republican-State ; Democratic-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 Primary Type
| State | Primary Election |
|---|---|
| Louisiana | Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential |
| Utah | Republican-Presidential |
| Maryland | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| New Jersey | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| American Samoa | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| Northern Marianas | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| Oklahoma | Republican-State ; Republican-Presidential |
| Virgin Islands | Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential |
| New York | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-State ; Republican-Presidential |
| Wyoming | Democratic-State ; Republican-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential |
| New Mexico | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-State ; Republican-Presidential |
| Hawaii | Republican-Presidential |
| Kansas | Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential |
| Kentucky | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| Washington DC | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| Delaware | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| Pennsylvania | Democratic-State ; Republican-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential |
| Florida | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| Oregon | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-State ; Republican-Presidential |
| Nevada | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-State ; Republican-Presidential |
| Missouri | Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential |
| Arizona | Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential |
| Nebraska | Democratic-State ; Republican-State |
| Michigan | Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential |
| Connecticut | Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential |
| Alaska | Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential |
| North Dakota | 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 Primary Type
| State | Primary Election |
|---|---|
| Utah | Democratic-State ; Republican-State ; Democratic-Presidential |
| Colorado | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| Oklahoma | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential |
| South Dakota | Democratic-State ; Republican-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential |
| Idaho | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| North Carolina | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| West Virginia | Democratic-State ; Republican-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential |
| Washington | Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential |
| California | Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential |
| Connecticut | Democratic-State ; Republican-State |
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 Primary Type
| State | Primary Election |
|---|---|
| Ohio | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-State ; Republican-Presidential |
| Indiana | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| Illinois | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| Iowa | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| Nebraska | Republican-Presidential ; Democratic-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 Primary Type
| State | Primary Election |
|---|---|
| Maine | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential ; Republican-State |
| New Hampshire | Democratic-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-State ; Republican-Presidential |
| Kansas | Democratic-State ; Republican-State |
| Rhode Island | Democratic-State ; Republican-State ; Democratic-Presidential ; Republican-Presidential |
| Arizona | Democratic-State ; Republican-State |
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 Primary Type
| State | Primary Election |
|---|---|
| Louisiana | Democratic-State ; Republican-State |
| Washington | Democratic-State ; Republican-State |
| California | 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 Primary Type
| State | Primary Election |
|---|---|
| Alaska | Democratic-State ; Republican-State |
NOTES
This page contains primary election rules and Presidential Primary delegates allocation information on elections occurring across the country Primary voting rules and delegate allocation apply to statewide partisan primary elections in most cases. However, check with your Town Clerk for primary voting guide as they may vary by town and political party.Please be advised that the information provided on this site is updated regularly but is subject to scheduling changes at the local level.