A primary election is an election in which registered voters in a jurisdiction select the candidates who will enter a subsequent election (nominating primary). Primaries are common in the United States, but are generally rare elsewhere in the world. Historically the U.S. progressive movement is held responsible for their general introduction. An election is a decision making process where people vote for preferred political candidates or parties to act as representatives in government. ... In law, jurisdiction (from the Latin jus, juris meaning law and dicere meaning to speak) is the practical authority granted to a formally constituted legal body or to a political leader to deal with and make pronouncements on legal matters and, by implication, to administer justice within a defined area... Progressive Movement is the term used to refer collectively to several various movements around the world that adhere to progressivism. ...

Generally, primaries are used to select one candidate on each political party but may also be non-partisan, such as in a run-off primary. A political party is an organization that seeks to attain political power within a government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. ... A Run-off primary election (a. ...

Types of Primaries

Open. Voters may vote in primaries of a party of their choice, the choice to be made at the voting booth. When voters do not pre-register for a party, this is called the pick-a-party primary because the voter can select which party he wishes to vote in on election day. In other open primary states, voters pre-register their party preference but the information is only used by parties for mailing lists and is non-binding. An Open Primary is a type of direct primary open to voters regardless of their party affiliation. ...

Semi-open. Voters may vote in the primary of the party of their choice, but they must publicly declare which primary they will vote in before entering the voting booth (typically this is accomplished by requesting a ballot). In many states with semi-open primaries, election officials record each voter's choice of party on Election Day and the parties are given access to this information.

Closed. Voters may only vote in a primary if they are registered members of that party. A closed primary is a type of direct primary limited to registered party members, who must declare their party affiliation in order to vote. ...

Semi-closed. Voters registered with a party may only vote in the primary of their party. Those declining to register with a party may choose which primary to vote in at the voting booth. For example, in West Virginia, Republican primaries are open to independents, but Democratic primaries are closed. Official language(s) English Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Area  Ranked 41st  - Total 24,244 sq mi (62,809 km²)  - Width 130 miles (210 km)  - Length 240 miles (385 km)  - % water 0. ... This article is about the modern United States Republican Party. ... The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, the other being the Republican Party. ...

Blanket. No longer in use, allowed voters to vote for one candidate per office, regardless of which party they are a member of. In United States politics, the blanket primary was a system used for selecting party candidates in a primary election. ...

Run-off. If no candidate receives a majority (50%) the top two candidates may face off in a run-off election. The word "run-off" can refer to either the system using a run-off election, or to the subsequential second election itself. An example of runoff voting. ...

Other ways that parties may select their candidates include caucuses and conventions. Historically Canadian political parties chose their leaders through leadership conventions although some parties have abandoned this practice in favour of one member, one vote systems. A caucus is most generally defined as being a meeting of supporters or members of a political party or movement. ... In politics, a political convention is a meeting of a political party, typically to select party candidates. ... This article lists political parties in Canada. ... In Canadian politics, a leadership convention is held by a political party when the party needs to choose a leader due to a vacancy or a challenge to the incumbent leader. ... OMOV, an acronym standing for one man, one vote or one member, one vote, is a term used to support wider and more equal participation in political systems. ...

American Primaries

Primary Challenges

The candidacy of a member of a political party for an office currently held by a member of the same political party is rare and is known as a "primary challenge". Primary challenges generate an excitement in primary elections that is typically absent. A primary challenge occurs in U.S. politics when an elected official is challenged in an upcoming primary election by a member of his own political party. ...

Open vs. Closed Primaries

Primaries are sometimes open only to registered members of that party, and sometimes open to all voters.

In open primaries, voters must typically choose only one primary to participate in that election cycle. The U.S. state of Louisiana is an exception; it uses what has become known as a Louisiana primary. Until 2004 in the state of Washington this was also not the case, and voters were able to vote in all parties' primaries on the same ballot, though not for more than one candidate per office. This "blanket primary" was struck down by the United States Supreme Court as violating the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of assembly in the case California Democratic Party v. Jones. United States is the current Good Article Collaboration of the week! Please help to improve this article to the highest of standards. ... This Article does not cite its references or sources. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Official language(s) None Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Area  Ranked 18th  - Total 71,342 sq mi (184,824 km²)  - Width 240 miles (385 km)  - Length 360 miles (580 km)  - % water 6. ... In United States politics, the blanket primary was a system used for selecting party candidates in a primary election. ... The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. The Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C., (large image) The Supreme Court of the United States, located in Washington, D.C., is the highest court (see supreme court) in the United States; that is, it has ultimate judicial authority within the United States... The first ten Amendments to the U.S. Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. ... Freedom of assembly is the freedom to associate with, or organize any groups, gatherings, clubs, or organizations that one wishes. ... Holding --- Court membership Case opinions Laws applied --- California Democratic Party v. ...

Non-Partisan Primaries

Primaries can also be used in non-partisan elections to reduce the set of candidates that go on to the general election (qualifying primary). (In the U.S. many city, county and school board elections are non-partisan.) Generally twice as many candidate pass the primary as can win in the general election, so a single seat election primary would allow the top two primary candidates to participate in the general election following. Non-partisan democracy (also no-party democracy) is a system of representative government or organization such that universal and periodic elections (by secret ballot) take place without reference to political parties or even the speeches, campaigns, nominations, or other apparatus commonly associated with democracy. ...

When a qualifying primary is applied to a partisan election, it becomes what is generally known as a Louisiana primary: typically, if no candidate wins a majority in the primary, the two candidates receiving the highest pluralities, regardless of party affiliation, go on to a general election that is in effect a run-off. This has the effect of almost invariably eliminating minor parties from the general election; frequently the general election becomes a single-party election, and it has, in one notable case, left voters having to choose "the lesser of two evils," between KKK leader David Duke and Edwin Edwards, a former governor suspected of corruption. A majority is a subset of a group that is more than half of the entire group. ... A plurality (or relative majority) is the largest share of something, which may or may not be a majority. ... A general election is an election in which all members of a given political body are up for election. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... KKK is an initialism (or a three-letter abbreviation) with these meanings: The Ku Klux Klan is one of several related white supremacy organizations. ... David Ernest Duke (born July 1, 1950) is a former Louisiana Republican state representative and the founder of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan[1][2]. Duke is a self-styled white nationalist, though critics often label him a white supremacist. ... Edwin Honest Ed Edwards (born August 7, 1927) served as the Democratic governor of Louisiana for four terms (1972 - 1980, 1984 - 1988, and 1992 - 1996), more terms than any other Louisiana governor. ...

Because many Washingtonians were disappointed over the loss of their blanket primary, which the Washington State Grange helped institute in 1935, the Grange filed Initiative 872 in 2004 to establish a "Louisiana" primary for partisan races, thereby allowing voters to once again cross party lines in the primary election. Supporters claimed it would bring back voter choice; opponents said it would exclude third parties and independents from general election ballots, would result in Democrat or Republican-only races in certain districts, and would in fact reduce voter choice. The initiative was put to a public vote in November 2004 and passed. On July 15, 2005, the initiative was found unconstitutional by the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. [1] Open primaries have also been placed to the voters in California (as Proposition 62), but failed after heavy advertising from the established political parties bringing up the specter of the Louisiana primary and of the 2002 French presidential election. Grange Hall in Maine, circa 1910 The Grange movement in the United States was a farmers movement involving the affiliation of local farmers into area granges to work for their political and economic advantages. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... In political science, the initiative (also known as popular or citizens initiative) provides a means by which a petition signed by a certain minimum number of registered voters can force a public vote on a proposed statute, constitutional amendment, charter amendment or ordinance. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... July 15 is the 196th day (197th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 169 days remaining. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States District Court for the Western District of Washington is the Federal district court whose jurisdiction is comprised of the following counties: Clallam, Clark, Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Island, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Lewis, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, San Juan, Skagit, Skamania, Snohomish, Thurston, Wahkiakum, and Whatcom. ... Proposition 62 is a proposition in the state of California on the November 2, 2004 ballot. ... The 2002 French presidential election consisted of a first round election on 21 April 2002, and a runoff election between the top two candidates (Jacques Chirac and Jean-Marie Le Pen) on 5 May 2002. ...

In elections using voting systems where strategic nomination is a concern, primaries can be very important in preventing "clone" candidates that split their constituency's vote because of their similarities. Primaries allow political parties to select and unite behind one candidate. A voting system is a means of choosing between a number of options, based on the input of a number of voters. ... Strategic nomination is the manipulation of an election through its candidate set (compare this to tactical voting, where the manipulation comes from the voters). ...

Presidential Primaries

In the United States, the small state of New Hampshire draws international attention every four years because it has the first U.S. presidential primary, although there is current discussion on altering the presidential primary schedule. This article does not cite its references or sources. ... The series of U.S. presidential primaries is one of the first steps in the process of electing a President of the United States. ...

Primary Systems State-by-state

Source: FairVote - Center for Voting and Democracy [2] In United States politics, the blanket primary was a system used for selecting party candidates in a primary election. ... A closed primary is a type of direct primary limited to registered party members, who must declare their party affiliation in order to vote. ... Runoff voting is a voting system used in single-seat elections. ... A closed primary is a type of direct primary limited to registered party members, who must declare their party affiliation in order to vote. ... A closed primary is a type of direct primary limited to registered party members, who must declare their party affiliation in order to vote. ... FairVote - Center for Voting and Democracy is a non-profit organization based in Takoma Park, Maryland that provides information to the public about the impact of voting systems on political representation, proportional representation, and voter turnout. ...

Primaries worldwide

• Primary elections in Italy

The mechanism of primary elections was quite unseen in Italy before the 2005 regional elections, for which the left-wing alliance The Union delegate its potential electors to decide about the candidates as President of the Regions of Apulia and Calabria. ...

References

• Brereton Charles. First in the Nation: New Hampshire and the Premier Presidential Primary. Portsmouth, NH: Peter E. Randall Publishers, 1987.
• Kendall, Kathleen E. Communication in the Presidential Primaries: Candidates and the Media, 1912-2000 (2000)
• Palmer, Niall A. The New Hampshire Primary and the American Electoral Process (1997)
• Scala, Dante J. Stormy Weather: The New Hampshire Primary and Presidential Politics (2003)
• Ware, Alan. The American Direct Primary: Party Institutionalization and Transformation in the North (2002), the invention of primaries around 1900

See also

• This entry is related to, but not included in the elections and voting series. Other related articles can be found at the Politics Portal.