Key Takeaways
- Closed primary elections only allow voters of certain political parties to vote, while open primary elections allow any voter to vote
- Arguments against open primaries include addressing political polarization, upholding the private nature of political parties, and considerations of gerrymandering
- Arguments against closed primaries include discussions of voter disenfranchisement, hyper-polarization, and low voter turnout
Two Types of Primary Elections
Closed primaries are primary elections limited to registered voters of a specific political party. They are currently adopted by just under half of the states in the United States. Conversely, an open primary is a primary election where voters can vote in any party’s primary, regardless of their party registration.
There is widespread disapproval of the United States’ current electoral process. This dissatisfaction is most often heard during general elections and once a new candidate is in office, with 47 percent of people expressing their feeling of voting for the lesser of two evils in the 2024 presidential election. Many express that the United States seems to be the most polarized it has been since the Civil War.
This polarization has been attributed to the United States’ primary election process, but this neglects the fact that there are two distinct primary systems: open and closed. Twenty-two states have closed primaries, but little difference has been found in the levels of polarization between open and closed primaries. The most recent development to primary elections in the United States was during the 2024 fall election when Idaho chose to keep their closed primary system, rejecting an open primary in a referendum.
What Are the Strengths of Closed Primaries?
Some argue that primaries can cause political polarization as only the most active Democrats and Republicans vote in them. Keeping closed primaries requires moderates and independents to pick a party when voting. One motivation for incentivizing independent voters to register with a party is the hope that more people register with a political party. This in turn disincentives people from registering in an opposing parties’ primary to prevent a certain candidate from receiving a nomination.
Closed primaries uphold the private nature of political parties. Political parties are inherently private organizations, and in order to have a say in their choice of candidate, one has to be a registered member of the political party. Further, primaries are not a general election and are not included as a constitutional right for the American people. Thus, in order to uphold the integrity of parties as private organizations, only members should be allowed to vote, to limit the influence of outside forces.
Gerrymandering, which moves boundaries of electoral zones to favor a certain party, can increase the significance of primaries. In closed primaries in gerrymandered districts, the primary is the election where voters have a more significant impact in electing their representative. Whichever side someone is on, they will have more impact as a member, whether within the majority party in electing and pressuring the candidate, or in the minority party in helping recruit someone who might get a higher share of votes. Registering with a party increases one’s chances of having access to an input in the campaign of the candidate or representative.
What Are the Weaknesses of Closed Primaries?
Voter dissatisfaction and voter disenfranchisement often contributes to an argument against closed primaries. Opponents argue that closed primaries only incentivize hyper-partisans to vote, which means ending up with two candidates that the majority of the electorate find too extreme. This disenfranchisement stems from a large swath of the electorate being denied the opportunity to vote in a primary, due to being registered as independent or simply non-affiliated with any political party.
The candidates being selected by hyper-partisans can lead to dangerous polarization electorally and legislatively. Electorally, primaries are decided by the most partisan and extreme members of political parties. Legislatively, legislators in safe districts, or districts where only one party has a chance at winning the general election, will make large efforts to remain in power, including avoiding primary challengers. They do this by legislating not based on what their district wants, but rather for what their primary electorate wants.
Another argument for eliminating closed primaries is low voter turnout. Eight percent of voters decide 83 percent of Congressional members due to gerrymandering. This is because elections proceed in places where there is low voter turnout, and within these low numbers, not every constituent can even vote in that primary. This makes Congress potentially less representative of the U.S. citizens that it governs. Open primaries allow more of the voting population to contribute its input. To understand the wide impact of this difference, polling shows that over 36 percent of voters from ages 18-29 identify as independents and therefore wouldn’t be allowed to vote in any primary.
Conclusion
Closed primaries have the potential to exacerbate political polarization, and exclude votes. Constituents have varying arguments for and against closed primaries, but regardless, this system emphasizes the significance of the private nature of parties. Yet, this raises questions about whether closed primaries must occur to retain the private nature of political parties, and whether independent voters should align with a party, or be able to contribute votes.
FAQ
Q: Which states use closed primaries and which use open primaries?
A: This map categorizes U.S. states based on the type of primary elections they conduct.
Q: Other than Democrats and Republicans, which political affiliations might people be registered to vote with, and thus unable to vote in closed Democratic and Republican primaries?
A: Parties are recognized differently in different states, but some of these are Independent voters, the Green Party, the Libertarian Party, and the Constitution Party.
Q: What happened in Idaho when voters chose to keep the closed primary system?
A: Many Idaho voters rejected a proposition that would have ended closed party primary elections and introduced a ranked-choice voting system in general elections.