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Primary election systems vary by state, with some allowing broader voter participation through open primaries. In an open primary, any registered voter can participate in any party's primary election, regardless of their own party affiliation. Independent voters can vote in any state with an open primary system without registering as a partisan.
Some states have partially open or partially closed primary systems that permit certain voters to participate while excluding others. Independent voters can participate in most of these partially open primary systems and only a few of the partially closed systems.
A closed primary is a type of primary election in which a voter must affiliate formally with a political party in advance of the election date in order to participate in that party's primary. Independent voters are not allowed to participate in any state with a closed primary system without first registering as a partisan.
If you are an independent voter and want to know whether you can vote in your state’s primary election, locate your state in the map below.
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