Reform tracker · 50 states

Primary elections

Who can vote in the primaries that choose candidates for state and congressional offices.

Research draft
States
50
Changes pending
5

Research draft. We gathered this from official sources: election offices, state laws and court records, each linked to its source. Separate reviewers checked a random sample of 64 facts from the reform research against the cited sources and found 6 errors, since corrected; 1 couldn’t be checked because the source wouldn’t display its text. The rest hasn't been reviewed fact by fact yet, so check the linked source before relying on anything here.

§1Every state

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Open
Any voter can vote in one party’s primary without joining the party.
Top-two
All candidates run in one primary open to every voter, and the top two go on to November, whatever their party.
Top-four
All candidates run in one primary open to every voter, and the top four go on to November.
Semi-closed
Party members vote in their own party’s primary, and voters not in a party can choose one.
Closed
Only a party’s members can vote in its primary.
Other
A system that doesn’t fit these types; the note explains it.
Not confirmed
We couldn’t confirm this from an official source.

A full mark means any voter can take part without joining a party; a half mark, that voters not in a party can; an empty mark, that only party members can. The marks show how far the practice applies, not whether it is a good idea.

  • Open20 states
  • Top-two2 states
  • Top-four1 state
  • Semi-closed10 states
  • Closed11 states
  • Other6 states
Primary elections: the status in each state for the November 3, 2026 election, and what the law says, with sources.
StateStatusWhat the law says
AlabamaOpen1Alabama has no party registration, so voters do not pick a party when they register; at a primary each voter asks for one party's ballot at the polls or on the absentee ballot application.1 p. 4, Political Party Registration The choice is recorded: the voter signs that party's poll list.1 p. 7 (PDF page), Voting at the polls A voter who votes in one party's primary may vote only in that same party's runoff; a voter who skipped the primary may choose either party's runoff ballot.1 p. 2, Crossover Voting Rules
AlaskaTop-four2,3All candidates for state executive, legislative and congressional offices appear on one primary ballot, every voter may vote for any candidate, and the four candidates with the most votes in each race advance to the general election.2,3,4 AS 15.25.010; AS 15.25.100(a) The primary does not pick a party's nominee; a candidate's party registration is shown on the ballot but does not mean the party endorsed the candidate.2,3 Governor and lieutenant governor candidates run as one ticket in the primary, and the 2026 primary was held on August 18, 2026.4,5 AS 15.25.100(a)
ArizonaSemi-closed6,7A voter registered with a party that has continuing ballot status gets only that party's primary ballot, while a voter registered as independent, with no party preference, or with a party without continuing status picks one qualified party's ballot.6 A.R.S. § 16-467(B) The Citizens Clean Elections Commission says the Libertarian Party holds a closed primary, so independents cannot choose that party's ballot.7 The primary is held on the second-to-last Tuesday in July of each general election year.8 A.R.S. § 16-201
ArkansasOpen9At check-in, each primary voter names the party primary he or she will vote in, and the poll worker marks that choice next to the voter's name on the precinct list.9 Ark. Code § 7-7-308(b) (PDF p. 263) A voter who votes in one party's preferential primary may not vote in another party's general primary (the runoff four weeks later).9 Ark. Code § 7-1-103(a)(18)(B) (PDF p. 95); § 7-7-203(a) Each party may set added qualifications by party rule for voting in its primary, as long as they comply with the National Voter Registration Act; the 2026 preferential primary was held on March 3, 2026.9,10 Ark. Code § 7-7-307 (PDF p. 263); Calendar p. 1
CaliforniaTop-two11All candidates for voter-nominated offices (statewide executive offices, the Legislature and Congress) appear on one primary ballot open to all voters, and the top two vote-getters advance regardless of party preference.11 What is a voter-nominated office? Candidates who do not finish in the top two, including write-in candidates, cannot run in the general election for these offices.11 The top-two rules do not apply to President, county central committees or local offices; presidential primaries are run by each party as closed or modified-closed contests.11
ColoradoSemi-closed12A major party's primary is open to its own registered members and to unaffiliated voters, who are mailed every major party's ballot and may return only one; voters registered with a different party cannot take part.12 § 1-4-101(2) State law lets a major party switch to nominating by assembly or convention if three-fourths of its state central committee votes to do so by October 1 of the year before; a federal court declared that three-fourths rule unconstitutional on March 31, 2026.12,13 § 1-4-702(1) Both major parties nominated their 2026 candidates in the June 30, 2026 primary, and the court declined to change the rules for that primary.14,15 A minor party holds a primary only when more than one candidate qualifies for an office, and its rules may keep unaffiliated voters out of that primary.12 § 1-4-1304(1.5)(c)
ConnecticutClosed16Only voters enrolled in a party may vote in its primary, unless the party's state rules on file with the Secretary of the State allow unaffiliated voters to take part for some or all offices.16 § 9-431(a) An unaffiliated voter who enrolls in a party in person by noon on the business day before a primary can vote in it; a 2026 law moved the deadline for enrolling by other means to 18 days before the primary.17 p. 11, Party Enrollment Privileges for Unaffiliated Voters (PA 26-1, § 74) The registration form in the Secretary of the State's 2026 voter guide tells voters that party primaries are open only to party members, and the Secretary's ballot access page says minor party members do not take part in primaries.18,19 voter guide p. 54 (Spanish form)
DelawareClosed20,21Only voters registered with a party may vote in its primary, and the Department of Elections tells voters they must be registered as a Democrat or Republican to vote in a primary.20,21 Under a current exception, a first-time voter registered automatically at the DMV as unaffiliated may join the party holding the primary at the polls and vote; the Department says the September 15, 2026 primary was the last one where this applies.22,23 15 Del. C. § 3161(b)
FloridaClosed24In a primary, a voter may vote only the ballot of the party named in his or her voter registration.24 When every candidate for an office belongs to the same party and the winner will face no opponent in the general election, all voters may vote in that primary contest regardless of party.25 art. VI, § 5(b) A change of party must be made at least 29 days before a primary to count for it.26
GeorgiaOpen27Voters choose which party's ballot to vote in a primary; in 2026 a voter who voted in one party's May 19 primary could vote only that party's ballot in the June 16 runoff, while a voter who skipped the primary could choose either party's runoff ballot.27 We could not read the state statute on primary voting, so this rests on a county election office's description of the 2026 primary.27
HawaiiOpen28,29Voters do not register by party, and the constitution says no one has to state a party preference to vote in a primary.28,29 art. II, § 4 On the primary ballot each voter picks one party, or the nonpartisan ballot, and votes only in that party's races; Office of Hawaiian Affairs and county races are open to every voter.29 Primary Election The voter guide says election offices keep no record of which party a voter chose.30 p. 6, Your Voting Rights A nonpartisan candidate reaches the general election by getting at least 10 percent of the primary votes for the office or at least as many votes as the lowest-scoring party nominee (HRS § 12-41(b)).31
IdahoOther32,33Voters pick a party or unaffiliated status when they register, and a voter registered with a party may vote only in that party's primary.32,33 § 34-404(2); § 34-904A(1) Each party decides for itself whether to also let unaffiliated voters, members of other named parties, or both vote in its primary, by notifying the Secretary of State by the last Tuesday in November before the primary.32,34 § 34-904A(2) When an unaffiliated voter chooses a party's ballot, the choice is written in the poll book and kept in the voter's voting history, but the voter stays unaffiliated.32 § 34-904A(3), (4), (8) Unaffiliated voters may join a party up to and on primary day, while a voter already in a party must file a change before the tenth Friday before the primary.35 Change Your Party Affiliation
IllinoisOpen36,37Voters do not register by party; at each primary a voter states a party to the election judges and gets only that party's ballot.36,37 § 7-43(a); § 7-44 The declared party is announced at the polling place and noted on the official poll record, and a voter who declines to name a party cannot vote in the primary.37 A person who votes an established party's ballot at the general primary may not then run as a candidate of a different party or as an independent at the general election that follows.36
IndianaOpen38,39Voters do not pick a party when they register; at the May primary each voter asks for either the Democratic or the Republican ballot.38,39 Manual PDF p. 107; Guide p. 3 The poll worker records which party's ballot the voter chose, the choice becomes part of the voter's voting history, and the voter cannot switch once it is entered.38 Manual PDF pp. 107 and 159 Another voter may challenge a voter's party affiliation at the primary; the challenged voter still gets a regular ballot after signing an affidavit of affiliation with that party (IC 3-10-1-9, 3-10-1-10.5).38 Challenge to Party Affiliation at Primary Election (PRE-6) A person's party for running in a primary is judged by the party ballot they asked for in their two most recent Indiana primaries, or by a county party chair's certification.39 p. 3, Ballot Access, Generally
IowaOpen40,41A voter gets only the ballot of the party they are registered with, but any registered voter may change or declare a party at the polls on primary day and then vote in that party's primary.40,41 §§ 43.38, 43.42(1) A party change made at the polls is written on the voter's eligibility affidavit and entered on the voter's registration record, so the choice becomes the voter's party affiliation.40 § 43.42(1), (2) Voters may also change or declare a party in writing before registration closes for the primary.42
KansasSemi-closed43,44,45Voters registered with a party get that party's primary ballot. An unaffiliated voter may choose a party at the polls by signing a declaration, which makes the voter a member of that party.43 § 25-3301(a), (c) Each party that nominates by primary must tell the Secretary of State by January 15 of the election year whether unaffiliated voters may vote in its primary. For the August 4, 2026 primary, the Secretary of State reminded voters that unaffiliated voters could affiliate with a party at the polls.43,45 § 25-3301(a); press release of May 28, 2026 Voters already registered with a party cannot change parties between the June 1 candidate filing deadline and the certification of primary results.44,45 § 25-3304(b) Only parties whose candidate for governor received at least 5% of the vote at the last general election hold primaries; other recognized parties nominate by convention or caucus.46 § 25-202(b)
KentuckyClosed47Only voters registered with a party may vote in that party's primary, and they may vote only for that party's candidates.47 KRS 116.055(1), (4) A voter must have been registered with the party on December 31 before the primary and stay registered with it. A person who first registers after December 31 may vote in the party's primary if registered with that party.47 KRS 116.055(1)–(3) Independents and voters registered with other groups may vote only in the nonpartisan races on a primary ballot.47 KRS 116.055(5)
LouisianaOther48,49,50Starting in 2026, nominees of the Democratic and Republican parties for U.S. Senate, Louisiana Supreme Court, Public Service Commission and the state board of education are chosen in closed party primaries. Party members vote only in their own party's primary, and voters registered as No Party may pick one party's ballot and must stay with it for any runoff.49,50 Voters registered with the Green, Libertarian or other parties cannot vote in these party primaries. A party primary candidate needs a majority to win the nomination, or the top two meet in a second party primary; the nominees then face other candidates in a general election won by plurality.49,50 U.S. House is also a party primary office under state law, but Act 7 of the 2026 Regular Session cancelled the spring 2026 House party primaries and moved those races to the November 3 open primary, with a December 12 general election if no one wins a majority.49,51,52 Act 7, Sections 6 and 7 All other state and local offices use the open primary: every candidate runs on one ballot and every voter may vote, a majority winner is elected outright, and otherwise the top two advance regardless of party.48,53 R.S. 18:401(B)(1), (C)
  • U.S. Senate, Louisiana Supreme Court, Public Service Commission, Board of Elementary and Secondary Education: Semi-closed49,50
  • U.S. House (2026 election cycle, under Act 7 of 2026) and all other state and local offices: Top-two48,51,52
MaineSemi-closed54,55Parties nominate their candidates in primary elections. Voters enrolled in a party vote in that party's primary.55 21-A M.R.S. § 331(1) A voter not enrolled in any party may vote in one party's primary without enrolling in it.54 21-A M.R.S. § 341 A voter who withdraws from a party cannot vote in a primary for 15 days afterward, which limits last-minute switching.56 21-A M.R.S. § 145(3)
MarylandClosed57,58The Democratic and Republican parties must nominate their candidates in a primary, and generally only voters registered with that party may vote in it.57,58 Election Law § 8-202(a) Unaffiliated voters and members of other parties may vote only in nonpartisan primary contests, such as school board races.58 A party may choose to let unaffiliated voters into its primary by notifying the State Board of Elections at least six months before the primary.57 Election Law § 8-202(c)
MassachusettsSemi-closed59,60A voter enrolled in a political party may vote only in that party's primary.60 An unenrolled voter chooses one party's ballot at the polls and stays unenrolled afterward.59 A voter registered in a political designation that is not a political party is treated as unenrolled for the primary and may choose a party's ballot.60 Changes to party enrollment do not take effect for a primary during the 20 days before it.60
MichiganOpen61,62,63The August primary nominates party candidates for governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House and the state legislature.61 Every registered voter receives the primary ballot, which lists each party's candidates in its own section.62,64 A voter may vote in only one party's section; a ballot marked for candidates of more than one party is rejected.63,64
MinnesotaOpen65,66Major party candidates for state and congressional offices are nominated in the state primary.66 The state partisan primary ballot gives each major party its own column, and a voter may vote for candidates of only one party.65 subds. 1, 4
MississippiOpen67,68The state's voter registration application does not ask for a political party, and each party's executive committee runs its own primary.67,68 A voter who votes in one party's first primary may not vote in another party's runoff primary before the same general election.68 p. 54, Cross-Over Voting
MissouriOpen69,70At the August primary each voter asks for one party's ballot, and the Secretary of State says voters may choose the party ballot they want.69,70 Voters who want no party ballot may vote only on issues and nonpartisan races.69 The voter registration form offers an optional party affiliation, and anyone who does not choose one is listed as unaffiliated.71 § 115.155.2
MontanaOpen72,73Each party with primary status gets its own primary ballot, and every voter receives the full set of party ballots.72 § 13-10-209(1), (7) A voter may mark only one party's ballot. The statutes we read do not tie that choice to any party registration.72,73 § 13-10-301(2)
NebraskaOther74,75,76,77,78Members of the one-house Legislature are nominated and elected without party labels: every voter gets the same nonpartisan primary ballot, and the top two vote-getters advance.74,75 § 32-814(2) Other offices have party primaries. Voters registered with a party get that party's ballot. Voters with no party may ask for any one party's ballot for U.S. Senate and U.S. House.76 § 32-912(1), (3) A party may also let voters with no party vote in all of its primary races by filing a rule at least 60 days before the primary. For 2026, the Democratic and Libertarian parties did so; the Republican and Legal Marijuana NOW parties did not, so voters with no party could vote only in their U.S. Senate and U.S. House races.76,77,78 §§ 32-702.01, 32-912(2)
  • Legislature and other nonpartisan offices: Top-two74,75
  • U.S. Senate and U.S. House (all party primaries): Semi-closed76,78
  • Governor and other partisan state and county offices, Democratic and Libertarian primaries (2026): Semi-closed77,78
  • Governor and other partisan state and county offices, Republican and Legal Marijuana NOW primaries (2026): Closed76,78
NevadaClosed79,80,81Each major political party has its own primary ballot, and a voter may cast it only if registered with that party.79 NRS 293.257(1), (3) Voters registered with a minor party or with no party may vote only in nonpartisan primary races. Minor parties pick their nominees under their own rules, not in the primary.80,81,82 NRS 293.287(4), 293.175(2)-(3)
New HampshireSemi-closed83,84A voter registered with a party may vote only that party's primary ballot, and may not switch parties at the primary.83,84 RSA 659:14, I; 654:34, I(b) A voter registered as undeclared may choose either party's ballot at the primary. Doing so registers the voter as a member of that party, but the voter may sign a form at the polls to go back to undeclared.84 RSA 654:34, II(b), V Registered party members may not change or drop their party in the weeks before the state primary, starting the first Wednesday in June.84 RSA 654:34, IV
New JerseySemi-closed85,86Primaries are held only for the Democratic and Republican parties, and registered party members vote in their own party's primary.85,86 Unaffiliated voters may take part by declaring a party at the polls, or by choosing one party's ballot if voting by mail; that declaration enrolls them in the party.85,87 Voters already enrolled in a party had to file any change of party by April 8, 2026, 55 days before the June 2 primary.86
New MexicoSemi-closed88,89Only the two major parties, the Democratic and Republican parties, hold primaries, and a voter registered with one of them may vote only in that party's primary.88,90 NMSA §§ 1-8-1(A), 1-12-7(B) Since July 1, 2025, a voter who declined to state a party may ask for either major party's primary ballot, and doing so does not change the voter's registration.88,89 NMSA §§ 1-4-15(D), 1-12-7(B) A voter registered with a minor party must first change registration to a major party or to declined to state, which can be done through same-day registration at a polling place.89 Which party's ballot an unaffiliated voter picks is public information, but how the person votes stays secret.89
New YorkClosed91,92Only voters enrolled in a party may vote in that party's primary; the parties that hold primaries are the Democratic, Republican, Conservative and Working Families parties.91,92,93 A change of party enrollment received by February 14 takes effect at once; one received later is held until seven days after the June primary.91,92 Voters who do not enroll in a party, or who write in a party that is not listed, cannot vote in any primary.92
North CarolinaSemi-closed94,95A voter registered with a party may vote only in that party's primary, even if the party has no primary that year.94,95 G.S. 163-59 An unaffiliated voter may choose one party's primary ballot, or a nonpartisan ballot where there is one.94,95 G.S. 163-119 Party changes for the next election must be made by the regular registration deadline, 25 days before Election Day, and cannot be made through same-day registration.95,96
North DakotaOpen97,98Every voter gets one consolidated primary ballot with a separate section for each party, and may vote in only one party's section; a ballot with votes in more than one party's section has its party votes rejected.97 N.D.C.C. § 16.1-11-22 There is no voter registration, so no party registration limits which party's section a voter uses.98,99 The primary is held on the second Tuesday in June of each general election year.97 N.D.C.C. § 16.1-11-01
OhioOpen100,101Ohio voters do not pick a party when they register; any voter may ask for one party's primary ballot.101 Choosing a party's primary ballot is recorded as affiliating with that party, and a voter who voted in another party's primary in the current or past two calendar years may be challenged.100,101 R.C. 3513.19(A)(3) A challenged voter may still vote that party's ballot by stating, under penalty of election falsification, a wish to affiliate with and support the party.100 R.C. 3513.19(B)
OklahomaClosed102,103Only voters registered with a party may vote in that party's primary and runoff primary.102 § 1-104(A) Each recognized party may open its primaries to voters registered as Independents for the next two years by notifying the State Election Board Secretary in November of an odd-numbered year; a party that sends no notice stays closed.102 § 1-104(B) For 2026 and 2027, no party sent a notice, so every party primary is closed to Independents, according to the State Election Board.103,104 The primary is held on the third Tuesday in June of even-numbered years, and recognized parties nominate their general election candidates there.105
OregonClosed106,107,108Only voters registered with a major party may vote for that party's candidates in the primary, unless the party files a rule with the Secretary of State by the 90th day before the primary letting nonaffiliated voters take part.106 ORS 254.365 The Secretary of State says Oregon's major parties choose to hold closed primaries, and that nonpartisan races such as judges also appear on primary ballots.107,108 Minor parties do not use the state primary; they nominate under their own filed rules, usually at a nominating convention.109 Nomination of Minor Political Party Candidates
PennsylvaniaClosed110,111Only voters registered and enrolled in a party may vote in that party's primary.110 § 802 The Department of State says Pennsylvania has a closed primary system in which only registered Democrats and Republicans vote for party nominees.111 Any registered voter may vote in a primary on a constitutional amendment, a ballot question or a special election that appears on the ballot.111
Rhode IslandSemi-closed112,113,114Voters not affiliated with any party may vote in either party's primary.112 A voter registered with one party may not vote in another party's primary until changing affiliation, which must be done at least 30 days before the primary.113,115 Since June 1, 2024, an unaffiliated voter who takes part in a party primary stays unaffiliated.114 § 17-9.1-23(c)
South CarolinaOpen116,117South Carolina has no party registration, and any registered voter may vote in one party's primary.116 To vote in a primary a person must be a registered voter who is 18 or will be by the general election; a party's state convention may add qualifications that do not conflict with state or federal law.117 § 7-9-20 A voter who takes part in one party's primary may not then vote in another party's primary in the same cycle; for example, the State Election Commission barred voters in the June 2026 Democratic primary from the August 2026 special Republican primary for U.S. Senate.118
South DakotaOther119,120,121By law, only voters registered with a party may vote in its primary, but each party may let voters with no party affiliation take part by saying so in its constitution or bylaws, filed by January 1 of the primary year.119,121 For 2026, the Secretary of State says the Democratic and Libertarian primaries are open to their own members and to independent or no-party voters, while the Republican primary is open only to registered Republicans.120 In November 2024, voters rejected Amendment H, an initiated amendment that would have set up top-two primary elections, by 141,570 to 270,048.122
TennesseeOpen123,124Under current law, a voter may vote in a party's primary if the voter is a bona fide member of that party, or if the voter declares allegiance to the party at the polls and says they intend to affiliate with it.123 At the August 6, 2026 primary, each voter chose either the Republican or the Democratic state and federal primary ballot and confirmed the choice on the signed application to vote.124 A 2025 bill that would have required voters to record a party affiliation before voting in a primary (Senate Bill 123) was withdrawn on February 4, 2025.123
TexasOpen125,126Any registered voter may vote in one party's primary; being accepted to vote in a party's primary makes the voter affiliated with that party.125,126 § 162.003 For the rest of that voting year, the voter may not vote in another party's primary or take part in another party's convention.125,126 §§ 162.012, 162.013, 162.014
UtahOther127,128,129Each party decides who may vote in its primary: it tells the Lieutenant Governor which parties' members, and whether unaffiliated voters, may vote for its candidates.127,128 §§ 20A-9-403(2)(a)(ii), 20A-9-406(1) The Lieutenant Governor's office says some parties hold closed primaries open only to their members, while others let any registered voter request their ballot.129 Only the Republican and Democratic parties held primaries on June 23, 2026.130
VermontOpen131,132Any voter may vote in one major party's primary, held on the second Tuesday in August of even years, and does not have to tell any election official which party's ballot they chose.131,132
VirginiaOpen133,134Virginia voters do not register by party, and any registered voter may vote in a party primary, but no one may vote in more than one party's primary.133 § 24.2-530 Each party decides whether to nominate by a state-run primary or by another method such as a convention, with special rules when an incumbent is running.134 § 24.2-509(A)-(B) For 2026, the Department of Elections reported that the Democratic and Republican parties chose a primary for U.S. Senate and all 11 U.S. House districts; the primary was held August 4, 2026.135,136 p. 1; Constitutional Amendments section
WashingtonTop-two137,138All candidates for a partisan office appear on one primary ballot, and the two with the most votes advance to November even if they state a preference for the same party.137,138 RCW 29A.52.112(2) A candidate may list a party preference, which is shown for voters' information only and does not mean the party nominated or endorsed the candidate.137,138 RCW 29A.52.112(4) Voters do not register by party, and the top-two system covers every office except president and vice president, party precinct committee officer, and charter review or freeholder positions.138
West VirginiaOther139,140A voter registered with a party votes that party's primary ballot, and each party's state executive committee decides whether unaffiliated voters or members of other parties may also vote its ballot.139 § 3-2-31(a) Under the Secretary of State's guide for the 2026 primary, only registered Republicans could vote the Republican ballot, a rule the party set effective December 1, 2024.140 The same guide says voters registered with no party or with an unrecognized party could choose the Democratic ballot, the Mountain Party ballot if offered, or a nonpartisan ballot, while Libertarian and Constitution Party members received a nonpartisan ballot.140 The 2026 primary was held May 12, 2026.141
  • Republican Party primary, all state and congressional offices (2026): Closed139,140
  • Democratic Party and Mountain Party primaries, all state and congressional offices (2026): Semi-closed139,140
WisconsinOpen142,143,144At the partisan primary on the second Tuesday in August, each recognized party has its own ballot or column, and any registered voter may choose, in private, which one party's ballot to vote.142,144,145 § 5.02(12s); § 5.62(1)(a); § 5.37(4) Voters set aside the other parties' ballots, and votes for candidates of more than one party in the primary are not counted.143,146 § 6.80(2)(f); § 6.87 The registration form does not ask for a party, and the person with the most votes on a party's primary ballot becomes that party's nominee.147,148 § 6.33(1); § 8.16(1)
WyomingClosed149,150To receive a party's primary ballot, a voter must be affiliated with that party; a voter who does not declare a party may vote only the nonpartisan ballot.149 W.S. 22-5-212 Already registered voters must declare or change their party with the county clerk before candidate filing opens, which for the August 18, 2026 primary meant by May 13, 2026.149,150 W.S. 22-5-214(a) The Secretary of State says new registrants may still choose a party when they register after that deadline.150

§2Changes pending

Drafted by AI from the public sources cited. Each sentence links to its source.

Laws not yet in effect, open court cases and November 3 measures that would change a status above.

  • Alaska. If voters approve Ballot Measure No. 2 (24ESEG) on November 3, 2026, the top-four primary and ranked-choice general elections would end, party primaries would again choose party nominees, general-election winners would be chosen by the most votes, and campaign finance rules added in 2020 would be repealed.151,152 Sample ballot HD1-JD1, Ballot Measure No. 2 If voters reject Ballot Measure No. 2, the top-four primary, the ranked-choice general elections and the 2020 campaign finance rules stay in place under current law.2,151,153
  • Colorado. Colorado Republican Party v. Griswold is still before the federal district court in Colorado; its March 31, 2026 ruling on the three-fourths rule for leaving the primary system could change how major parties nominate in later years.13,15
  • Louisiana. Act 7's switch to the open primary covers only the 2026 U.S. House elections. The act keeps U.S. House in the legal list of party primary offices, so House nominees are again set to be chosen in closed party primaries in later years unless the law changes.51 Act 7, Sections 6, 7 and 8
  • Massachusetts. Question 3 on the November 3, 2026 ballot, an initiative petition the legislature did not act on, would replace party primaries for state offices with one all-party primary in which the top two candidates for each office advance; if approved it takes effect January 1, 2028.154,155

§3Notes on the research

The research notes that mention primary elections, in their own plain words: what couldn't be read or confirmed, and judgment calls a reviewer should look at.

Alabama4 notes
  • We could not confirm from a Secretary of State page that the special UOCAVA ranked primary ballot in Code § 17-13-8.1 is in use; subsection (h) says it takes effect only after the Secretary of State notifies the Code Commissioner that a federal court order on runoff timing was vacated (or is not needed). The SoS military and overseas voting page does not mention it. The statewide value assumes the statute is in operation; a reviewer should confirm.
  • A 2026 bill to require party registration for primaries starting in 2027 (HB541, 2026 Regular Session) passed the House; the Legislature's file server has introduced and engrossed versions but no enrolled version (HB541-enr.pdf returned 404), so we treated it as not enacted. A reviewer should confirm its final status.
  • The Governor's May 12, 2026 special-primary proclamation PDF is a scanned image with no text layer; we relied on the Governor's press release describing it.
  • Statewide ranked-choice use is left blank. Act 2024-338 bans ranked-choice voting except for voters who vote absentee under the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (Act § 1; Candidate Filing Guide p. 47), but whether Alabama actually gives those voters ranked primary ballots for a possible runoff (Code § 17-13-8.1, which takes effect only after a Secretary of State notice) could not be confirmed from a source we could read by permitted means. On a slower re-check on 2026-10-27, the Secretary of State's Military/Overseas Voting page and 2026 Voter Guide described separate primary runoff ballots (and the federal write-in ballot) for these voters and did not mention ranked ballots; that suggests ranked ballots are not in use, but neither says so.
Arizona2 notes
  • The 2026 statewide propositions in the official publicity pamphlet (Propositions 141, 142, 144 and 316-320, hosted by the Clean Elections Commission) include none on ranked-choice voting, primaries, redistricting, voter registration or legislative term limits, so pending is empty.
  • The Clean Elections Commission's statement that the Libertarian Party holds a closed primary could not be matched to a statute or a 2026 Secretary of State notice, since azsos.gov was blocked.
California2 notes
  • We could not check for pending lawsuits over the Proposition 50 congressional map; Proposition 50 gives the California Supreme Court exclusive jurisdiction over state challenges, and federal court dockets were not reviewed. The Secretary of State says 2026 primary and general ballots use the new districts.
  • None of the November 3, 2026 statewide propositions (1-5 and 37-45) concerns ranked-choice voting, primaries, redistricting, voter registration or legislative term limits, based on the measure titles on the Secretary of State's qualified-measures list, so pending is empty.
Connecticut1 note
  • We could not find an official state source saying whether the Democratic or Republican Party's state rules let unaffiliated voters vote in its 2026 primaries. State law allows a party to do so, so the closed label rests on the default rule and on the Secretary of the State's 2026 registration form note.
Idaho1 note
  • We could not find an official page that says which parties opened their May 2026 primaries to unaffiliated voters or to members of other parties under § 34-904A(2); the Secretary of State's press release pages returned no body text to our plain download.
Illinois1 note
  • We found no official page confirming that any Illinois municipality uses ranked-choice voting. The City of Evanston's clerk page for its April 6, 2027 consolidated election describes a February 23, 2027 consolidated primary for a special mayoral race and does not mention ranked ballots; we could not run a web search to look further, so local use is marked permitted under § 16-5.01(c) rather than used.
Kansas1 note
  • We did not find the Democratic and Republican parties' written notices to the Secretary of State (due January 15, 2026) on whether unaffiliated voters could vote in their 2026 primaries; the primary entry relies on the statute and the Secretary of State's May 28, 2026 press release.
Maryland1 note
  • We found no notice from either principal party to the State Board of Elections opening its 2026 primary to unaffiliated voters; the closed value rests on the statute and the State Board's primary election page.
Massachusetts1 note
  • News reports say the Supreme Judicial Court upheld the all-party primary petition's certification on June 22, 2026 (Jackson v. Attorney General, SJC-13904). The copy on mass.gov returned an access-denied page, so we did not cite it.
Montana1 note
  • We could not check the Secretary of State's 2026 ballot measure list (site blocked). Secondary sources list no November 3 measure on ranked-choice voting, primaries, redistricting, registration or legislative term limits, but this was not confirmed from an official list.
Nevada2 notes
  • The Secretary of State's website (nvsos.gov) answered our request with a bot-check page on 2026-10-27, so we stopped using it. We could not read its 2024 statewide results for Ballot Question 3 (the top-five primary and ranked-choice general election amendment); we rely on the current constitution text, which contains no such provision.
  • Clark County's page describing Nevada's closed primary is dated March 4, 2024; the statutes cited are the current revision.
Oregon2 notes
  • We did not find an official Secretary of State notice saying whether any major party filed a rule opening its 2026 primary to nonaffiliated voters; the closed value rests on the Secretary of State's FAQ and the Multnomah County Elections page describing Democratic and Republican primaries as limited to party members.
  • A non-official site hosts what it calls a July 2025 complaint challenging Oregon's closed primaries; we could not confirm from a court website whether such a case was filed or is still pending, so nothing is listed under pending.
Pennsylvania1 note
  • The General Assembly's compiled Election Code shows amendment notes only through 2022, and its list of later amending acts is behind a search form we did not use; the closed primary, the most-votes rule and the 15-day deadline are confirmed by current Department of State pages, but later amendments to other sections were not checked.
Utah1 note
  • We did not find an official 2026 statement of which voters each party allowed in its primary, so the primary detail does not name each party's choice.
Washington1 note
  • We found no official statement on whether the U.S. Supreme Court's October 5, 2026 order in Trevino v. Hobbs (No. 25-918) changes the legislative districts used on the November 3, 2026 ballot; the primary was already held under the court-drawn map, and we found no order replacing it before the general election.
West Virginia1 note
  • § 3-1-35 of the code still says unaffiliated voters may not receive a party primary ballot, while § 3-2-31(a) lets each party decide; the Secretary of State's 2026 guide follows the party-choice rule.
Wisconsin1 note
  • The Wisconsin Elections Commission site (elections.wi.gov) answered every request with a browser verification page, so we could not read its pages on registration, primaries, ranked choice voting or the 2026 ballot. We used the statutes as published by the Legislature on October 1, 2026 instead.