Primaries & Delegates

Primary election types and delegate rules by state

Compare open, closed, partially closed, unaffiliated, and nonpartisan primary rules with historical presidential delegate allocation details.

Last reviewed: August 21, 2026. Primary voting rules can vary by party, office, and election cycle.

Primary Types

How states structure primary participation

Open primaries

16 state and D.C. guides in this build include this classification.

Voters can generally choose a party primary without being registered with that party, subject to state and party rules.

Closed primaries

23 state and D.C. guides in this build include this classification.

Voters generally must be registered with a party to vote in that party's primary.

Unaffiliated voter options

20 state and D.C. guides in this build include this classification.

Some systems let unaffiliated voters participate while keeping party-member rules more restrictive.

Top-two, top-four, or nonpartisan

5 state and D.C. guides in this build include this classification.

Candidates may appear on one ballot regardless of party, with the top finishers advancing under state law.

Compare States

Primary rules and presidential delegate totals

The table links to each state guide and summarizes the listed primary type plus historical 2024 Democratic and Republican presidential delegate totals.

State	Primary type	Democratic delegates	Republican delegates
Alabama primary election rules	Open	59	50
Alaska primary election rules	ClosedTop-Four	19	29
Arizona primary election rules	ClosedOpen to Unaffiliated	86	43
Arkansas primary election rules	Open	37	40
California primary election rules	Partially ClosedTop-Two	497	169
Colorado primary election rules	Open to Unaffiliated	86	37
Connecticut primary election rules	ClosedPartially Closed	63	28
Delaware primary election rules	Closed	33	16
Florida primary election rules	Closed	250	125
Georgia primary election rules	Open	124	59
Hawaii primary election rules	ClosedOpen	31	19
Idaho primary election rules	Partially Closed	24	32
Illinois primary election rules	Partially Open	174	64
Indiana primary election rules	Partially Open	76	58
Iowa primary election rules	Partially Open	47	40
Kansas primary election rules	ClosedPartially Closed	39	39
Kentucky primary election rules	Closed	51	46
Louisiana primary election rules	All-ComersClosedOpen to Unaffiliated	56	47
Maine primary election rules	Open to Unaffiliated	32	20
Maryland primary election rules	ClosedPartially Closed	104	37
Massachusetts primary election rules	Open to Unaffiliated	116	40
Michigan primary election rules	ClosedOpen	140	55
Minnesota primary election rules	Open	92	39
Mississippi primary election rules	Open	40	40
Missouri primary election rules	ClosedOpen	71	54
Montana primary election rules	Open	22	31
Nebraska primary election rules	NonpartisanOpenPartially Open	30	36
Nevada primary election rules	ClosedPartially Open	48	26
New Hampshire primary election rules	Open to Unaffiliated	33	22
New Jersey primary election rules	Closed	127	12
New Mexico primary election rules	Open to Unaffiliated	41	22
New York primary election rules	Closed	259	91
North Carolina primary election rules	Open to Unaffiliated	132	74
North Dakota primary election rules	ClosedOpen	17	19
Ohio primary election rules	Partially Open	143	79
Oklahoma primary election rules	ClosedPartially Closed	40	43
Oregon primary election rules	ClosedPartially Closed	68	31
Pennsylvania primary election rules	Closed	173	67
Rhode Island primary election rules	Open to Unaffiliated	30	19
South Carolina primary election rules	Open	63	50
South Dakota primary election rules	Partially Closed	19	29
Tennessee primary election rules	Closed	70	58
Texas primary election rules	Open	272	161
Utah primary election rules	ClosedPartially Closed	34	40
Vermont primary election rules	Open	24	17
Virginia primary election rules	Open	118	48
Washington primary election rules	Partially ClosedTop-Two	111	43
Washington DC primary election rules	Closed	48	19
West Virginia primary election rules	Partially Closed	25	32
Wisconsin primary election rules	Open	87	41
Wyoming primary election rules	Closed	16	29

State Guides

What each primary and delegate guide includes

Primary participation

Each guide summarizes who can vote in the listed primary system, including open, closed, partially open, and unaffiliated-voter classifications.

Party differences

Some states use different rules for Democratic, Republican, state, and presidential primaries. The state pages preserve those distinctions when the model lists them.

Delegate allocation

State pages show historical 2024 Democratic and Republican presidential delegate totals, allocation method, threshold, and short allocation notes.

Verification links

Resource sections are limited to selected state, national, party, or archive links so readers can verify rules without wading through a long link list.

Primary rule context. This index is generated from structured primary and delegate models. Primary eligibility rules, party rules, and delegate allocation plans can change between cycles, so confirm current voting rules with state election officials or the relevant political party. Corrections and updates policy

Questions

Common questions

How do I find whether my state has an open or closed primary?

Use the state selector or comparison table to open your state's primary guide. The Primary type column lists open, closed, partially closed, open-to-unaffiliated, top-two, top-four, or related classifications where available.

Can unaffiliated voters vote in a primary?

It depends on the state, party, office, and election cycle. Some states let unaffiliated voters choose a party primary, while others require party registration or use different rules for presidential and state primaries.

Are the delegate counts current?

The presidential delegate totals on these pages are historical 2024 cycle data where listed. Use the source links on each state page to verify current-cycle party rules and allocation plans.

Why can one state show more than one primary type?

A state may use different primary systems for presidential primaries, state offices, Democratic contests, Republican contests, or nonpartisan offices. The state guide keeps those classifications visible instead of flattening them into one label.

How many state primary guides are included?

This build includes 51 state and District of Columbia primary/delegate guides. US territories are excluded from the generated nextgen site.

Glossary

Primary and delegate glossary

Open Primary: A primary system where voters can generally choose which party primary to vote in without being registered with that party, subject to state and party rules.
Closed Primary: A primary system where voters generally must be registered with a political party before voting in that party's primary.
Partially Closed Primary: A primary system where party voters are usually limited to their party's primary, while unaffiliated voters may be allowed to participate under specific rules.
Open to Unaffiliated: A rule that allows voters with no party affiliation to participate in a party primary while party-registered voters may remain limited by party or state rules.
Top-Two or Top-Four Primary: A nonpartisan-style primary where candidates appear together and the top two or top four finishers advance, depending on state law.
Delegate Allocation: The process political parties use to assign presidential convention delegates based on primary, caucus, or party-plan results.