What is an open primary system?
Answers
Answer:
An open primary is any primary election in which a voter either does not have to formally affiliate with a political party in order to vote in its primary or can declare his or her affiliation with a party at the polls on the day of the primary even if the voter was previously affiliated with a different partyiliated with a different party.[1][2]
HIGHLIGHTS
In 21 states, at least one political party conducts open primaries for congressional and state-level offices.
For information on voter participation rules for the 2020 presidential primaries and caucuses, below.
Top-two primary systems, such as those utilized in California and Washington, are sometimes classified as open primary systems because voter participation in such primaries is not tied to partisan affiliation. For the purposes of this article, a top-two primary is considered a separate entity. For more information about top-two primaries, see this article.