CLEP US Government

Category - Elections

What is the difference between an open primary election and a closed primary election?
  1. In an open primary, non-citizens can vote.
  2. In a closed primary, you can only vote if you have voted before.
  3. In an open primary, you can vote if you have not declared a party affiliation.
  4. In a closed primary, you can only vote if you have been cleared by the party as being a loyal member.
  5. In an open primary, poll workers will open the door for you and welcome you with a cookie.
Explanation
Answer: C - In open primaries, voters do not have to be registered for a specific party in order to vote in that party’s primary. In fact, any registered voter can vote in a true open primary. In a closed primary, on the other hand, you can only vote in the primary if you are a registered member of that political party. There are other types of primary elections, too. In a semi-closed primary election, you are allowed to vote for a party candidate if you are registered with that party or if you are not officially part of another party. In a semi-open primary election, you need not declare a party affiliation before the election, but when you arrive at the polls, you must request a specific party’s ballot and vote only in that party’s primary. Moderate candidates are more likely to be selected in open than in closed primaries due to independent and unaffiliated voters being allowed to vote.
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