Political Parties and Primary Voting

Planning on voting in the Primary election for the candidate of your choice for President of the USA - well think again.  Many states - mine is one of them - limits who can vote in the Primary elections. If you are registered Democrat you can only choose a Democrat candidate in the primaries and if you are a registered Republican - you can only choose a Republican candidate of your choice. This is NOT true for the general public election for President on Election Day. Anyone no matter what party they are registered with, can vote for any candidate of their choice.

If you are planning on choosing a candidate to RUN FOR PRESIDENT in 2016 - check your state's laws on Primary election voting - you may be surprised.  I had no idea until I happened to read someone's comment online urging people to check this out in their state.

I changed my long standing registered Democrat to Republican this year because I want to be able to choose who will run as the Republican candidate for President of the United States.  In NJ it was really easy to access the NJ State Department Division of Elections website.  I was able to download the proper form and filing information with no problem. There is often a time limit before primary date so if you want your vote to count, time to get working on it now.

Primary voting wasn't something most people get involved in. They often, like me, wait to see who's running on the big ticket and then go out and vote. I have almost always voted on Election Day but I have never voted in a Primary election before.  With  many different candidates running for nomination in both parties, this year I feel more involved than ever before. Our country is really needing some great leaders and while no one running can probably fix our whole world all at once, I really feel like it's up to Americans to get involved, get the facts and get our voices heard.

Did you know depending on the State you live in, you must be affiliated with the Party you want to choose the candidate from in the Primary Elections!  I did not know this. New Jersey is a strictly closed Primary process in which the election of party candidates is limited to only party affiliated members as registered.  Click on the map below for more information

Different states have different laws and the best way to figure out your status in your state for voting in the Primary elections is checking it out on sites like FairVote.org or the links below to learn more about it. Check out your own State Department's website and find out where you stand.


The information is from the National Conference of State Legislatures

Closed States

Closed Primaries

Eleven states operate closed primary elections or caucuses. In either case, only voters who are registered as members of a political party prior to the primary date may participate in the nomination process for its candidates.

Proponents say that closed systems contribute to a strong party organization. Opponents note that independent or unaffiliated voters are excluded from the process.

CLOSED PRIMARY STATES

	States
Delaware	Maine	New York
Florida	Nevada	Pennsylvania
Kansas	New Jersey	Wyoming
Kentucky	New Mexico

Open states

Open Primaries

Eleven states operate open primaries, which permit any registered voter to cast a vote in a primary, regardless of his or her political affiliation. This means that a Democrat could "cross over” and cast a vote in the Republican primary, or vice versa, and an unaffiliated voter can choose either major party's primary. 

Proponents say that this system gives voters maximum flexibility because they can cross party lines. Opponents counter that this system dilutes a political party’s ability to nominate its own candidate without interference from non-members.

Alabama	Michigan	North Dakota
Arkansas	Minnesota	Vermont
Georgia	Missouri	Wisconsin
Hawaii	Montana