Open Primaries Archives | American Democracy Minute

On the Eve of the New Hampshire Presidential Primary, Some States Contemplate Closing their Primaries to Independents, While Others Consider Opening Them in 2024

January 21, 2024January 21, 2024

A Gallup poll released this month found 43% of Americans identify as unaffiliated, independent voters. But in some states, they can’t vote in primaries. As voting begins Jan. 23rd in the New Hampshire Presidential Primary, what states are considering closing – or opening – primaries in 2024?

Montana Group Readies Ballot Initiatives for “Top 4” Open Primaries, and Winning by a Majority, Not Just a Plurality

December 12, 2023December 12, 2023

A bipartisan group in Montana passed a critical court test last month for a Nov. 2024 ballot measure reforming the state’s election system, implementing a “top 4” open primary system.

While Some States Seek to Close Primaries, Nevada and Arizona Consider Open Primaries to Include Independent Voters and Offer More Choice

November 15, 2023November 15, 2023

Closed primaries keep independents, the fastest growing block of voters, from voting in a Republican or Democratic primary. To include unaffiliated voters and offer all voters more choice, states like Nevada and Arizona are considering fully open primaries and “Top 5” races.

Fears of Crossover Voting Driving Party Activists to Close Primaries – But at the Expense of Silencing Independent Voters

November 14, 2023November 14, 2023

This past year, party activists in several states proposed CLOSING their primaries to anyone not registered with that party. Why?

Who Can Vote in a State Primary? Well, that Depends on Where You Live and Sometimes Whether You Belong to a Political Party

November 8, 2023November 13, 2023

A New Hampshire GOP resolution recently surfaced to “close” its party primary to the state’s unaffiliated voters. What ARE the types of primaries, who can vote in them, and who decides? Turns out, it’s complicated.