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Definition of Closed Primary

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Sign directing voters to their voting station

In U.S. politics, citizens choose whom they want to represent their political parties in the actual elections by voting in their district or county primary. Primaries can be open to anyone, but are sometimes closed to members only.

  1. Identification

    • Closed primaries are those in which the citizen must choose to vote in a specific party primary.

    Considerations

    • Voters may choose to register as independent voters in most states, but this precludes them from voting in either the Democratic or Republican primary. However, they may vote for offices that have no political affiliation, such as judge.

    Benefits

    • Closed primaries prevent supporters of the opposing party from crossing over to vote for the "weakest" candidate in the party primary.

    Theories/Speculation

    • Some critics of closed primaries, such as Ben Wilcox, lobbyist for Common Cause Florida, believe that this type of primary perpetuates the two-party system and reduces the representation of independent voters, according to the Sarasota (Florida) Herald-Tribune.

    Tips

    • Citizens can find out if their state holds closed primaries by questioning their state's election board. In addition, FairVote.org keeps a listing of types of primaries by state.

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References

  • Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Kerry

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