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A primary election is an election in which registered voters in a jurisdiction select a political party's candidate for a later election (nominating primary). Primaries are common in the United States, but generally rare elsewhere in the world. Historically the US progressive movement is held responsible for their general introduction. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3000x3002, 6358 KB) The Blue Marble: This photo is of Africa, Antarctica, and the Arabian Peninsula as taken en route to the Moon by Apollo 17s Harrison Schmitt on December 7, 1972. ... The Elections and Parties Series Democracy Representative democracy History of democracy Referenda Liberal democracy Representation Voting Voting systems Ideology Elections Elections by country Elections by calendar Electoral systems Politics Politics by country Political campaigns Political science Political philosophy Related topics Political parties Parties by country Parties by name Parties by... The Elections and Parties Series Democracy Representative democracy History of democracy Referenda Liberal democracy Representation Voting Voting systems Ideology Elections Elections by country Elections by calendar Electoral systems Politics Politics by country Political campaigns Political science Political philosophy Related topics Political parties Parties by country Parties by name Parties by... Progressive Movement is the term used to refer collectively to several various movements around the world that adhere to progressivism. ...

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. Louisiana, U.S.A. is an exception. Until 2004 in the state of Washington, U.S.A., 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. State nickname: Pelican State Other U.S. States Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans, officially (currently Baton Rouge due to the evacuation of New Orleans) Governor Kathleen Blanco (D) Senators Mary Landrieu (D) David Vitter (R) Official languages None; English and French de facto Area 134,382 km² (31st... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... 2004(MMIV) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... State nickname: The Evergreen State Other U.S. States Capital Olympia Largest city Seattle Governor Christine Gregoire (D) Senators Patty Murray (D) Maria Cantwell (D) Official languages None Area 184,824 km² (18th)  - Land 172,587 km²  - Water 12,237 km² (6. ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... 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. ...

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 (or no-party democracy) is a system of representative government or organization whereby 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. ...

Because many Washingtonians were disappointed over the loss of the blanket primary, which the Washington State Grange helped institute in 1935, the Grange filed Initiative 872 in 2004 to establish a qualifying 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] Grange Hall in Maine, circa 1910 The Grange movement in the United States involved the affiliation of local farmers into area granges to work for their political and economic advantages. ... 1935 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) is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... It has been suggested that Third party politics be merged into this article or section. ... July 15 is the 196th day (197th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 169 days remaining. ... 2005 (Roman: MMV) is 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. ...

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. The Elections and Parties Series Democracy Representative democracy History of democracy Referenda Liberal democracy Representation Voting Voting systems Ideology Elections Elections by country Elections by calendar Politics Politics by country Political campaigns Political science Political philosophy Related topics Political parties Parties by country Parties by name Parties by ideology Ideologies... Strategic nomination is the manipulation of an election through its candidate set (compare this to tactical voting, where the manipulation comes from the voters). ...

In the United States, the small state of New Hampshire draws national attention every four years because it has the first U.S. presidential primary. (In 2004, the Washington, DC primary had the distinction of being the first in the nation; however, it was only binding for the Green Party. The Democratic Party's vote in the primary was non-binding, and only 4 of the 9 Democratic candidates were listed on ballots.) State nickname: The Granite State Other U.S. States Capital Concord Largest city Manchester Governor John Lynch (D) Senators {{{Senators}}} Official languages English Area 24,239 km² (46th)  - Land 23,249 km²  - Water 814 km² (3. ... The series of U.S. presidential primaries is one of the first steps in the process of electing a President of the United States. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, DC. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the United... In American politics, the Green Party is a third party which has been active in some areas since the 1980s, but first gained widespread public attention for Ralph Naders presidential runs in 1996 and 2000. ... The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the United States. ...

Types of Primaries

Open. Voters may vote in primaries of a party of their choice, the choice to be made at the voting booth.

Closed. Voters may only vote in a primary if they are registered members of that party.

Semi-open. Voters registered with a party may only vote in the primary of their party. Independents may choose which primary to vote in at the voting booth. Some U.S. states allow parties to determine whether independent voters can vote in their primaries. For example, in West Virginia, Republican primaries are open to independents, but Democratic primaries are closed. A U.S. state is any one of the fifty states (four of which officially favor the term commonwealth) which, together with the District of Columbia and Palmyra Atoll (an uninhabited incorporated unorganized territory), form the United States of America. ... State nickname: Mountain State Other U.S. States Capital Charleston Largest city Charleston Governor Joe Manchin (D) Senators Robert Byrd (D) Jay Rockefeller (D) Official languages English Area 62,809 km² (41st)  - Land 62,436 km²  - Water 376 km² (0. ... The Republican Party, often called the GOP (for Grand Old Party, although one early citation described it as the Gallant Old Party [1]), is one of the two major political parties in the United States (the other being the Democratic Party). ... The Democratic Party, founded in 1792, is the second-oldest political party in the world (after the Tories of the United Kingdom). ...

Blanket. No longer in use, allowed voters to vote in either primary, switching party primaries with each office (Ex. Republican Presidential primary, Democratic Gubernatorial Primary, Republican Congressional Primary).

Run-off. If no candidate receives a majority (50%) the top two candidates may face off in a run-off election. This system is used in Louisiana for all state, local, and congressional elections. The word "run-off" can refer to either the system using a run-off election, or to the subsequential second election itself. State nickname: Pelican State Other U.S. States Capital Baton Rouge Largest city New Orleans, officially (currently Baton Rouge due to the evacuation of New Orleans) Governor Kathleen Blanco (D) Senators Mary Landrieu (D) David Vitter (R) Official languages None; English and French de facto Area 134,382 km² (31st...

Other ways that parties may select their candidates include caucuses and conventions. 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. ...

See also

• List of democracy and elections-related topics
• List of U.S State and Territory Primaries and Caucuses