Party primaries or primary elections are elections where a political party selects a candidate for an upcoming general election. Depending on the country and administrative division, voters may consist of all voters open primary, or solely the members of a political party in what is called a closed primary. In addition to these, there are other variants on primaries that are used by many countries holding elections throughout the world.
Third party, or minor party, is a term used in the United States' two-party system for political parties other than the Republican and Democratic parties.
A write-in candidate is a candidate whose name does not appear on the ballot but seeks election by asking voters to cast a vote for the candidate by physically writing in the person's name on the ballot. Depending on electoral law it may be possible to win an election by winning a sufficient number of such write-in votes, which count equally as if the person were formally listed on the ballot.
An open primary is a primary election that does not require voters to be affiliated with a political party in order to vote for partisan candidates. In a traditional open primary, voters may select one party's ballot and vote for that party's nomination. As in a closed primary, the highest voted candidate in each party then proceeds to the general election. In a nonpartisan blanket primary, all candidates appear on the same ballot and the two highest voted candidates proceed to the runoff election, regardless of party affiliation. The constitutionality of this system was affirmed by the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington State Grange v. Washington State Republican Party in 2008, whereas a partisan blanket primary was previously ruled to be unconstitutional in 2000. The arguments for open primaries are that voters can make independent choices, building consensus that the electoral process is not splintered or undermined by the presence of multiple political parties.
A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for the same elected office run against each other at once, regardless of the political party. Partisan elections are, on the other hand, segregated by political party. Nonpartisan blanket primaries are slightly different from most other elections systems with two rounds/a runoff, also known as "jungle primaries" , in a few ways. The first round of a nonpartisan blanket primary is officially the "primary." Round two is the "general election." Round two must be held, even if one candidate receives a majority in the first round.
Ranked-choice voting (RCV) can refer to one of several ranked voting methods used in some cities and states in the United States. The term is not strictly defined, but most often refers to instant-runoff voting (IRV) or single transferable vote (STV).
Proposition 1 was a referendum in the Idaho in 1994, concerning gay rights and minority status. The purpose of Proposition 1 was to prevent homosexual people from receiving minority status in the state. The Idaho Citizens Alliance (ICA) petitioned for 2 years for enough signatures to put their initiative on the November 1994 ballot. Proposition 1 was defeated in the polls by a majority vote.
Jason A. Monks is an American politician serving as a member of the Idaho House of Representatives from District 22.
A unified primary is an electoral system for narrowing the field of candidates for a single-winner election, similar to a nonpartisan blanket primary, but using approval voting for the first round, advancing the top-two candidates, allowing voters to confirm the majority-supported candidate in the general election.
Maine Question 1 was a people's veto referendum that appeared on the June 12, 2018 statewide ballot. It sought to reject a law passed by the Maine Legislature that suspended the implementation of ranked-choice voting, authorized by Maine voters in a previous referendum, for use in Maine elections until and if an amendment to the Maine Constitution is passed to expressly permit it; failing that, the law would be automatically repealed in 2021. It qualified because supporters of the original referendum collected the necessary number of signatures from registered Maine voters. This vote coincided with primary elections in which party nominees for governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and the Maine Legislature were chosen through RCV to run in general elections on November 6.
Mary Souza is an American politician and former nurse who was a Republican member of the Idaho Senate. She was first elected in 2014 to 2022.
A firehouse primary, also called a firehouse caucus or "unassembled caucus", is a term sometimes used in the United States to describe a primary election run by a political party, not a government, to select the party's candidates for a later general election. Firehouse primaries were originally held in public buildings such as firehouses.
Dorothy Moon is an American conservative politician who served as a Republican member of Idaho House of Representatives from the 8B district from 2016 to 2022. Moon has been the Chair of Idaho Republican Party since July 2022.
The 2020 Massachusetts general election was held on November 3, 2020, throughout Massachusetts. Primary elections were held on September 1, 2020.
Alaska Measure 2 was a ballot initiative approved by voters in Alaska as part of the 2020 United States elections. The proposal switched Alaska's primary system to a non-partisan blanket primary. The top four candidates progress to the general election, which is conducted with ranked-choice voting. Voting for U.S. president will continue to utilize primaries based on political party, but ranked-choice voting will still be used in the general election. The initiative also requires additional disclosures of campaign financing.
The 2022 Idaho House of Representatives elections took place on November 8, 2022. Primary elections were held on May 17, 2022. Idaho voters elected state representatives in all 70 seats of the House, electing two state representatives in each of the 35 Idaho state legislative districts. State representatives serve two-year terms in the Idaho House of Representatives.
The 2022 Idaho State Senate elections took place on November 8, 2022. Primary elections were held on May 17, 2022. Idaho voters elected state senators in all 35 seats of the Senate, electing one state senator and two state representatives in each of the 35 Idaho state legislative districts. State senators serve two-year terms in the Idaho Senate.
A top-four primary or top-four ranked-choice voting is an election method using a nonpartisan blanket primary as the first step.
The following is a list of ballot measures, whether initiated by legislators or citizens, which have been certified to appear on various states' ballots during the 2024 United States elections as of 15 July 2024.
Initiative 83 is a proposed ballot initiative in Washington, D.C. that would permit ranked-choice voting and open the primary elections to independent voters. If passed, more than 73,000 voters registered as “unaffiliated” with a political party will be able to participate in primaries, which are closed to those voters. Beginning in 2026, elections for all public offices, except political party offices, would be held using ranked choice voting.
