Chapter 08 / FAQ
Last updated:
An open primary is a primary election where any registered voter can take part without joining a political party.
The Primary Field Guide FAQ answers 42 questions people ask about primary systems, grouped into 7 topics. Each answer leads with the direct answer, then the supporting facts, so you can find what you need fast.
An open primary is a primary election where any registered voter can take part without joining a political party. In a traditional open primary, the voter privately chooses one party’s ballot on election day. In a nonpartisan open primary, such as California’s top-two, every candidate appears on one ballot that every voter receives.
In simple terms, an open primary lets you vote in the primary no matter which party you belong to, or whether you belong to one at all. Your party registration, if your state even has one, does not decide whether you get a ballot. The details, such as whether your ballot choice is recorded, vary by state.
A closed primary is a primary where only voters registered with a party can vote in that party’s contest. Independents and unaffiliated voters receive no primary ballot. 15 states have closed primaries, including New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, and New Jersey.
A semi-closed primary lets unaffiliated voters choose one party’s primary while blocking members of other parties from crossing over. Rhode Island is an example: registered Democrats and Republicans vote in their own primaries, and unaffiliated voters may pick either, sometimes by affiliating at the polls. There are 10 semi-closed systems, including Washington, D.C.
A semi-open primary lets any voter request a party ballot, but the choice may be publicly recorded. Colorado and Arizona are classified this way in state data. It is more inclusive than a closed system, though a recorded ballot choice can feel like a public statement of party preference.
A top-two primary puts every candidate, from every party, on a single ballot that every voter receives. The two candidates with the most votes advance to the general election, regardless of party. California adopted it through Proposition 14 in 2010, a measure authored by a nonpartisan organization. Washington uses the same basic model.
In 2026, 19 states run open or partially open primaries with no party registration: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin. California, Washington, and Alaska go further with nonpartisan primaries open to every voter on one ballot.
By this guide’s count, 22 states let every voter take part in the primary: 19 open or partially open states plus the three nonpartisan states, California, Washington, and Alaska. Counts elsewhere run higher or lower because some sources add semi-open states. Always check your own state’s election office for current rules.
California and Washington have top-two primaries, where the two leading candidates advance regardless of party. Alaska uses a related top-four primary with ranked choice voting in November. Nebraska elects its unicameral legislature on a nonpartisan ballot. Louisiana long used a majority-vote jungle system, but current state data lists it under closed primaries.
15 states have closed primaries: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and Wyoming. In these states, voters must be enrolled in a party to vote in its primary. Rules can change, so confirm with your state election office before each cycle.
No, Alaska uses a top-four primary rather than a top-two. All candidates run on one primary ballot, the four leading finishers advance, and voters rank them in the general election. Alaska adopted this final-four system in 2020. Data notes that Alaska’s presidential primary remains closed.
Louisiana is no longer classified as a jungle-primary state in current data, which lists it among the 15 closed-primary states. Its older system put all candidates on one ballot, and a candidate who cleared 50 percent won outright. Check the Louisiana Secretary of State for which offices use which format.
The difference is who gets a ballot. In an open primary, any registered voter can participate regardless of party. In a closed primary, only registered party members can vote in that party’s contest, so independents sit out. In New York alone, 3,187,610 registered voters are barred from closed primaries.
The main advantage of open primaries is that every voter can take part in the round that often decides the race. They include independents, who make up 28.9 percent of registered voters nationally. Supporters argue they reward candidates who appeal beyond a party base, and they stop tax-funded elections from being limited to party members.
The most cited downside of open primaries is crossover voting, where voters from one party try to influence another party’s nominee. Crossover voting in open primaries is 3 to 20 percent. Parties also argue that members, not outsiders, should choose nominees, a position courts have often protected.
Parties prefer closed primaries because they keep control of who chooses the nominee. Only loyal members vote, which limits crossover voting and protects the party’s platform and leadership. Critics answer that primaries are publicly funded elections, so excluding taxpaying voters who decline to join a party is unfair.
For voter access, a top-two primary goes further than a traditional open primary, because no voter has to pick a party ballot and every candidate competes on one list. It ranks first in this guide for that reason. A traditional open primary still keeps separate party contests, which some voters prefer.
Crossover voting is when a voter who supports one party votes in another party’s primary. Crossover voting is 3 to 20 percent in open primaries. Parties worry most about strategic raiding, where outsiders back a weaker candidate on purpose. Nonpartisan top-two primaries sidestep the issue because there is no separate party contest to cross into.
Independent voters can vote in primaries in most states, but not in the 15 closed-primary states. In open and nonpartisan states they vote freely. In semi-closed and semi-open states they can usually choose a party ballot. 66,284,669 Americans are registered in states that keep them out of primaries.
About 63 million American voters are registered independent or unaffiliated, 28.9 percent of the electorate. That is nearly as many as all registered Republicans, at 69.6 million. In Alaska, Massachusetts, Colorado, and Rhode Island, independents outnumber either major party.
Primaries matter because they often decide the winner. Over 90 percent of congressional seats are considered safe for one party, so the primary is effectively the final election. Ballotpedia found only 22.1 percent of possible 2026 primaries were contested, so voters locked out of primaries often have no meaningful choice.
Yes, in a closed-primary state you can vote in your own party’s primary, but not another party’s. Changing parties takes planning: in New York, a voter must affiliate by February 14 to vote in that year’s June primary. Check your state election office for its exact deadline.
Independents in New York cannot vote in primaries at all, because New York runs closed primaries. That excludes 3,187,610 registered voters, 25.4 percent of the electorate. On October 1, 2026, the case Rieckhoff v. Berger was filed in federal court in the Southern District of New York challenging that exclusion.
No, you do not have to join a party to vote in an open primary. In most open states you choose a party ballot privately at the polls. In semi-open states your choice may be recorded publicly. In nonpartisan top-two states, there is no party choice at all, because everyone gets the same ballot.
More Choice Voting is a reform approach that pairs an open primary with ranked choice or approval voting in the general election. All candidates appear on one primary ballot, several top finishers advance, and voters rank them in November. It is promoted as the next step after open primaries.
A top-four or final-five primary is a single open primary where the four or five leading candidates advance to the general election instead of two. It widens the November field, and it is usually paired with ranked choice voting so the winner has broad support. Alaska adopted a final-four system in 2020.
With ranked choice voting, voters rank candidates in order of preference. If no one wins a majority of first choices, the last-place candidate is eliminated and those ballots move to each voter’s next choice. Counting repeats until one candidate holds a majority. Alaska uses this method after its top-four primary.
California’s top-two primary, Proposition 14, was authored in 2010. It replaced closed partisan primaries with a single nonpartisan ballot. It was later defended against two separate federal legal challenges. Nearly 40 million Californians now live under a primary system that does not require party membership.
Proposition 14 is the 2010 California ballot measure that created the state’s top-two primary. All candidates appear on one ballot, all voters participate, and the top two finishers advance regardless of party. It was authored by a nonpartisan organization in 2006.
San Diego Measure K was a 2016 ballot measure that ended the city’s rule letting candidates win outright in low-turnout June primaries. It passed with 58.6 percent of the vote. City races now always go to a November general election, when turnout is highest. It was authored by a nonpartisan organization.
Super PACs are political committees that can raise and spend unlimited money to support or oppose candidates, as long as they do not coordinate with campaigns or give money directly to them. They can accept money from individuals, corporations, and unions. The Federal Election Commission calls them independent expenditure-only committees.
The difference is limits. A traditional PAC can give money directly to candidates, but its donations in and out are capped; federal rules let an individual give a PAC up to $5,000 a year. A Super PAC cannot give to candidates directly, but it can raise and spend unlimited sums. Confirm current limits at fec.gov.
Super PACs began in 2010, after the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. FEC decision and the federal appeals court ruling in SpeechNow.org v. FEC. Together, those rulings allowed unlimited contributions to groups that only make independent expenditures. Since then, Super PACs have spent billions of dollars on federal elections.
Maine’s Question 1, passed in 2023, capped contributions to Super PACs at $5,000. It won 74.9 percent of the vote, nearly 3-to-1 support. The Foundation for Independent Voter Education is defending the law in court, and a win could set a precedent for Super PAC contribution limits nationwide.
No, a Super PAC cannot give money directly to a candidate or coordinate its spending with a campaign. It can only spend independently, for example on advertising that supports or opposes candidates. That independence requirement is what allows it to raise unlimited money, unlike a traditional PAC.
Whether states can cap Super PAC contributions is being tested in court right now. Maine voters approved a $5,000 cap in 2023, and the Foundation for Independent Voter Education is defending it against legal challenges. The outcome could decide whether other states can follow, so watch that case.
The quickest way to support open primaries is to sign a petition or join a reform campaign. A national open primaries petition is available, and the take-action page lists ways to sign, donate, or subscribe. Learning your own state’s rules is a useful second step.
Start by supporting open primaries, then explore More Choice Voting. Open primaries fix the first barrier, getting every voter a ballot. More Choice Voting builds on that by widening the field in November. Super PAC limits address a separate issue, money in elections, once access is in place.
Your state election office or Secretary of State has the official primary rules. For a quick overview, our voter data pages break down registration, turnout, and primary type for every state. Check deadlines early, because some states require party changes months before a primary.
The main downside of top-two primaries is that two candidates from the same party can reach the general election, leaving some voters without a candidate from their own party. Vote splitting can also matter: when several candidates from one party divide its vote, two rivals can finish first and second.
Yes. In one documented top-two race, 52 percent of voters chose one of three Democrats, yet two Republicans advanced because they narrowly finished first and second. That vote-splitting risk is one reason reformers also back top-four and top-five systems with ranked choice voting.
The figures in this guide come from named sources: state voter data and primary guides, Ballotpedia, MultiState, and published primary election explainers. Each number is attributed on the page where it appears. Our methodology page explains how the rankings were formed.
Your next step
Getting every voter a primary ballot is the first barrier to clear. The Independent Voter Project runs the national campaign for open primaries for every voter, and our More Choice Voting chapter covers what comes after.
