A nonpartisan primary is a preliminary election in which all candidates appear on a single ballot regardless of party affiliation, and all registered voters may participate without declaring a party preference. The format contrasts with closed primaries (where only registered party members vote) and partisan open primaries (where voters choose one party's ballot).
Nonpartisan primaries take several forms:
- Top-two primary: The two candidates with the most votes advance to the general election, even if they share a party. California adopted this system via Proposition 14 in 2010, and Washington state has used it since 2008 following the Supreme Court's ruling in Washington State Grange v. Washington State Republican Party (2008), which upheld the format against a First Amendment challenge.
- Top-four or top-five primary: A larger number of finishers advance, typically paired with ranked-choice voting in the general election. Alaska implemented a top-four system through Ballot Measure 2 in 2020, first used in 2022.
- Nonpartisan blanket primaries for local office: Used in most U.S. municipal and judicial elections, and statewide in Nebraska's unicameral legislature since 1934.
Louisiana operates a distinct "jungle primary" in which all candidates compete on one ballot on general election day; if no candidate wins an outright majority, the top two advance to a runoff.
Proponents argue nonpartisan primaries reduce polarization by forcing candidates to appeal beyond their party base, increase participation by independents, and give moderate candidates a viable path. Critics counter that the format can shut out minor parties entirely from the general ballot, that it has produced mixed empirical evidence on moderation (studies by political scientists including Eric McGhee and Boris Shor have found modest or null effects), and that it weakens party organizations' role in candidate vetting.
The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a true "blanket" partisan primary in California Democratic Party v. Jones (2000), distinguishing it from the nonpartisan top-two format later upheld in Grange.
Example
In 2022, Alaska held its first nonpartisan top-four primary under Ballot Measure 2, advancing Sarah Palin, Nick Begich, Mary Peltola, and Tara Sweeney to the special U.S. House general election.
Frequently asked questions
In an open primary, voters choose one party's ballot and only that party's candidates; in a nonpartisan primary, all candidates from all parties appear on one ballot together.
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