Open primary
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An Open Primary is a type of direct primary open to voters regardless of their party affiliation. Voters need not publicly declare their party affiliation but must vote for candidates of only one party. The opposite is a closed primary, in which only registered members of a party may vote.
In Oregon in 2006, supporters of a ballot measure titled One Ballot refer to it as an "open primary." It is, more accurately, a run-off primary election: all candidates appear in the same race, regardless of party affiliation. The top two candidates advance to the general election.
[edit] States with open primaries
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- North Dakota
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
In some of the open primaries, the voter must reveal publicly which party's primary ballot he or she is choosing. But in certain other open primary states, the voters chooses the party in the privacy of the voting box (but still, the voter must choose only one party's primary).
[edit] Other types of "open primaries"
Alaska has a hybrid system. In Louisiana, the parties do not nominate candidates; however, Act 560 of 2006 provides for closed primaries for congressional races. See run-off primary election for more information on Louisiana's system.
