A few months before each primary election, in states that conduct closed primaries, articles begin to appear claiming that independents can vote in the upcoming major party primaries. Voters only need to submit a form requesting a partisan ballot, or in some cases, simply choose a partisan ballot on election day. These are often claimed to be “hybrid”, “semi-open” or “semi-closed” primaries. In one case, the author actually claims the primary is “open”. The posts excerpted below are great examples:
Tag: semi-closed primary
semi-closed primary: An inaccurate, misleading term referring to a closed primary with relaxed registration requirements. (3R closed primary) All unaffiliated voters and candidates are excluded – but voters may declare their party affiliation and join a major party by means other than registration. This term is typically used in conjunction with a false claim that Independents can vote in a closed primary.