Voting in Primary Elections: State Rules On Participation (CRS Report for Congress)
Premium Purchase PDF for $24.95 (15 pages)
add to cart or
subscribe for unlimited access
Pro Premium subscribers have free access to our full library of CRS reports.
Subscribe today, or
request a demo to learn more.
| Release Date |
July 11, 2000 |
| Report Number |
RL30441 |
| Report Type |
Report |
| Authors |
Kevin Coleman, Government and Finance Division |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
Summary:
This report summarizes information for the states and the District of Columbia concerning
voting
participation in primary elections. Procedures vary from state to state concerning who is eligible to
vote in primary elections, depending on whether the state has an open primary (a voter has the option
of choosing either party ballot in the secrecy of the polling booth) or a closed primary (a voter must
register with a political party before the election to be eligible to vote or must publicly choose a party
ballot at the polling place). At present, 12 states have open primaries and 38 states and the District
of Columbia have closed primaries. In a June 26, 2000 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that
the open primary system used California, often called a blanket primary, was unconstitutional (see
discussion in the introductory section below and individual state notes). The ruling affects similar
primaries in Washington and Alaska, while it is unclear whether it applies to states with open
primaries that are not blanket primaries.
