Editing Primary election (section)

==Types of Party primaries==
Two types of party primaries can generally be distinguished:

* ''Closed primary''.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://definitions.uslegal.com/c/closed-primary/|title=Closed Primary Election Law & Legal Definition|publisher=USLegal.com|access-date=2012-11-07}}</ref> (synonyms: internal primaries, party primaries) In the case of closed primaries, internal primaries, or party primaries, only party members can vote.
* ''Open primary''.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://definitions.uslegal.com/o/open-primary/|title=Open Primary Law & Legal Definition|publisher=USLegal.com|access-date=2012-11-07}}</ref> All voters can take part in an open primary and may cast votes on a ballot of any party. The party may require them to express their support to the party's values and pay a small contribution to the costs of the primary.

In the United States, further types can be differentiated:

=== Closed primary ===
In a "closed primary", people may vote in a party's primary only if they are registered members of that party prior to election day. Independents cannot participate. Because some political parties name themselves independent, the terms "non-partisan" or "unaffiliated" often replace "independent" when referring to those who are not affiliated with a political party. As of 2016, thirteen states and the [[District of Columbia]] used closed primaries.<ref name="State Primary Election Types">{{cite web|title=State Primary Election Types|url=http://www.ncsl.org/research/elections-and-campaigns/primary-types.aspx|website=NCSL|publisher=National Conference of State Legislatures|access-date=5 April 2016}}</ref><ref name="Bowman-2012">{{cite book|last=Bowman|first=Ann|title=State and Local Government: The Essentials|url=https://archive.org/details/statelocalgovern0000bowm_o5d9|url-access=registration|year=2012|publisher=Wadsworth|location=Boston, MA|page=[https://archive.org/details/statelocalgovern0000bowm_o5d9/page/77 77]|isbn=9781111341497}}</ref>

=== Semi-closed or semi-open ===
In a "semi-closed primary", as in closed primaries, registered party members can vote only in their own party's primary. Semi-closed systems, however, allow [[Independent voter|unaffiliated voters]] to choose a party to participate in as well. Depending on the state, independents either make their choice of party primary privately, inside the voting booth, or publicly, by registering with any party on Election Day.

Sixteen states{{snd}}Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Meyers|first=David |title=Maine joins list of states with open primaries |url=https://thefulcrum.us/Elections/Voting/maine-open-primaries |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=The Fulcrum |language=en}}</ref> New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sos.state.oh.us/elections/voters/register/#declare|title=Register to Vote and Update Your Registration - Ohio Secretary of State|website=www.sos.state.oh.us|access-date=16 May 2018|archive-date=25 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125133100/https://www.sos.state.oh.us/elections/voters/register/#declare|url-status=dead}}</ref> Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, and West Virginia{{snd}}have semi-closed primaries that allow voters to register or change party preference on election day.<ref name="Bowman-2012" /><ref>{{cite book|last=Dye|first=Thomas R.|title=Politics in States and Communities|year=2009|publisher=Pearson Education|location=New Jersey|page=152}}</ref> Massachusetts allows unenrolled voters or members of minor parties to vote in the primary of either major party, but registration or party changes must be done no fewer than 20 days prior to the primary.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleifv/howreg.htm|title=Registering to Vote|website=www.sec.state.ma.us|access-date=13 August 2020}}</ref>

=== Open primary ===
{{main|Open primaries in the United States}}In an "open primary", a registered voter may vote in any ''party primary'' regardless of his or her own party affiliation. Fourteen states{{emdash}}Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Hawaii, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, South Carolina, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin{{emdash}}have open primaries.<ref name="State Primary Election Types" />

This system is sometimes criticized for increasing the ease with which voters can engage in [[party raiding]]. Raiding consists of voters of one party [[Crossover voting|crossing over]] and voting in the primary of another party, effectively allowing a party to choose a weak opponent in the election. An example of this can be seen in the 1998 Vermont senatorial primary with the nomination of [[Fred Tuttle]] as the Republican candidate in the general election.{{Citation needed|reason=Evidence that is this an example of raiding?|date=October 2017}}