Closed Primary

AP US Government and Politics

Prediction

1. What do you think Closed Primary means?

2. Use Closed Primary in a sentence that you wouldn't be embarrassed for your Aunt Bertha to read.

3. Think of an example of Closed Primary in current events:

4. Find an image of Closed Primary:

Fun Fact

Definition

Closed Primary: In a closed primary, only voters registered with a given party can vote in that party's primary. States with closed primaries include party affiliation in voter registration so that the state has an official record of what party each voter is registered as.

Closed primaries preserve a party's freedom of association by better ensuring that only bona fide members of the party influence who that party nominates, but critics claim that closed primaries can exacerbate the radicalization that often occurs at the primary stage, when candidates must cater to their party's "base" rather than the political center.

In a few states, independent voters may register with a party on Election Day. However, they must remain registered with that party until they change their affiliation again. A handful of states even allow voters registered with one party to switch their registration at the polls to vote in another party's primary.

Sentence

The great state of North Carolina (North Cackalacky), has closed primaries. Therefore, if you are a registered Democrat you may not vote in the North Carolina's Republican closed primary.

Example

California Revisits Presidential Primary Process After 2016 Voter Nightmare

Image

View fullsize

AP US Government and Politics

Questions

1. What is the main difference between an open and a closed primary?

2. What state holds the nation's first primary every presidential election cycle?

3. If a primary is closed how can you ever get there on time?????

4. What kind of primary does your state have?

5. if you were deciding for your state, would you chose an open, closed, or semi-closed primary?

6. What would happen if we simply stopped having primary elections at all?

7. If you are the second state to hold a primary is it called the secondary primary?