Open vs Closed Primary: Difference and Comparison

Primary Elections or Primaries exist in various countries depending upon the type of election that country follows. This election is most prevalent in America, where voters get the chance to elect the candidate in the general, local, or by-election.

Key Takeaways

1. In an open primary, voters can participate regardless of their party affiliation, while a closed primary requires voters to be registered members of a specific party.
2. Open primaries encourage wider participation and may attract independent or undecided voters, whereas closed primaries focus on party loyalty and consistency.
3. Critics argue that open primaries can lead to strategic voting, while closed primaries may limit voter engagement and alienate independent voters.

Open vs Closed Primary

An open primary is a type of election where the voters of different parties or any neutral party are allowed to vote in the primary elections of that party. A closed primary is the type of election that is exclusive to only registered voters, and there is a restriction on independent voters.

Open Primary is a system of voting in which a registered voter of any affiliated party can give their vote to any party primary. In America, twenty-four states follow the open primary system.

People who are independent or don’t belong to any affiliated party cannot vote in a closed primary. But during the general elections, voters of closed primary can vote for another party.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Open Primary	Closed Primary
Voter Type	Independent Voters	Registered voters
Participation	Discourages voter participation	Encourages Voter Participation
Promotes	Promotes ‘cross over’ voting.	Promotes party unity
Restrictions	Allows any voters	Restricted to only members
States in the USA	24	14

What is Open Primary?

In open Primary elections, voters of any party or voters who don’t belong to any party are neutral can vote in the primary of that party. They can vote for both partisan as well as non-partisan members.

In America, there are twenty-four open primary states, namely, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, Tennessee,

Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Wisconsin. Voters in the Open primary have the greatest advantage because they can vote secretly for another party’s primary.

It has the advantage that it promotes crossover voting in which voters of other parties can influence the voting of the primary party by giving the vote to the candidate who is weak so that the opposition parties can get the advantage of it.

What is Closed Primary?

A closed primary encourages the participation of voters. Because it is restricted to only registered voters, closed primary members can only vote in the election of the primary party.

A closed primary encourages the unity of the party. Because of its closed system, it ensures that the nomination and selection of the candidates of the primary party are influenced by only the members registered.

But they can do it only if they are registered on Election Day. They can change their affiliation, but until that, they should remain registered with the initial party.

Main Differences Between Open and Closed Primary

1. Open Primary doesn’t have any restrictions it allows everybody to cast a vote. But they can vote only one time. Closed Primary puts restrictions on independent voters.
2. In the USA, there are 24 Open Primary states which include semi-open as well. There are 14 Closed Primary states in the USA, including semi-closed.

References

1. https://www.jstor.org/stable/765107
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261379416300853