Semi-closed primary

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A semi-closed primary, also known as a hybrid primary, is a type of primary election where voters that are not affiliated with a political party may participate in the partisan primary election of their choice. Voters who are affiliated with a political party are only allowed to vote in that party's primary.

HIGHLIGHTS

In 14 states, at least one political party conducts semi-closed primaries for congressional and state-level offices.

For information on voter participation rules for the 2024 presidential primaries and caucuses, see below.

Usage

Congressional and state-level elections

In 14 states, at least one political party conducts semi-closed primaries for congressional and state-level offices. The map below identifies states in which at least one political party uses semi-closed primaries for congressional and state-level elections. Hover over a state for additional details.

States where at least one political party uses open primaries for congressional and state-level elections
State	Semi-closed primaries	Notes
Arizona	Yes
Colorado	Yes
Idaho	Yes	State law stipulates that political parties can determine for themselves who may participate in their primary elections. Unaffiliated voters can affiliate with a party on the day of the election and participate in its primary. Voters who are already affiliated with a political party must disaffiliate no later than the 10th Friday preceding the primary election in order to affiliate with another party and vote in its primary.
Kansas	Yes	Section 25-3301 of the Kansas Statutes stipulates that a voter who is already affiliated with a political party can participate only in that party's primary. An unaffiliated voter can declare his or her affiliation with a political party on the day of the election and vote in that party's primary. Previously affiliated voters cannot change their affiliation on the day of the election.
Massachusetts	Yes
New Hampshire	Yes
New Jersey	Yes	A previously unaffiliated voter can participate in the primary of his or her choice by affiliating with a party on the day of the election. Otherwise, a voter must indicate his or her party preference (e.g., via an updated voter registration) no later than the 55th day preceding the primary in order to vote in that party's primary.
New York	Yes (Reform Party)	In 2018, the Reform Party opened its primary to independent voters.
North Carolina	Yes
Oklahoma	Yes (Democratic Party)	Section 26-1-104 of the Oklahoma Statutes stipulates that only a registered member of a political party can vote in that party's primary. The law does grant parties the authority to determine for themselves whether unaffiliated voters may vote in their primaries.
Rhode Island	Yes
South Dakota	Yes (Democratic Party)	Section 12-6-26 of the South Dakota Codified Laws stipulates that a voter who has registered with a political party can only vote in that party's primary. The statute does grant parties the authority to determine for themselves whether unaffiliated voters may participate in their primaries.
Utah	Yes (Democratic Party)
West Virginia	Yes	State law permits political parties to determine for themselves whether unaffiliated voters may participate in their primary elections.

Presidential primaries and caucuses

2024 presidential primaries and caucuses

Ballotpedia is conducting research on presidential primaries and caucuses for the 2024 election. This section will be updated when the required information is available.

2020 presidential primaries and caucuses

The maps below detail voter participation rules for the Democratic and Republican parties in the 2020 presidential nominating process. Hover over a state to see additional information. Please note that this information is tentative and subject to change.

For information from previous presidential election cycles, click "[Show more]" below.

Show more

2016 presidential primaries and caucuses

The map below identifies states in which at least one political party utilized semi-closed primaries or caucuses as part of the presidential nominating process in 2016. Hover over a state for additional details.

States in which at least one political party utilized semi-closed primaries or caucuses for presidential nominating process, 2016
State	Semi-closed primaries or caucuses
Massachusetts	Yes
New Hampshire	Yes
North Carolina	Yes
Oklahoma	Yes (Democrats)
Rhode Island	Yes
South Dakota	Yes (Democrats)
West Virginia	Yes

Recent legislation related to primaries

The table below includes state legislation related to primaries introduced in or carried over to the current year's legislative session.

Bills are organized alphabetically, first by state and then by bill number. The table displays up to 100 results by default. To view additional results, use the arrows in the upper-right corner of the table. For more information about a particular bill, click the bill number. This will open a separate page with additional information.

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See also

• Primary election
• Primary election types by state
• State primary election types
• Open primary
• Closed primary
• Top-two primary
• Top-four primary
• Blanket primary
• Jungle primary

Footnotes

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