What is a primary election?
• Major political parties (Democratic and Republican) nominate their candidates at a primary election, which is held on the third Tuesday in May of each even-numbered year. Only a voter who is registered as a member of either political party may vote for that partys candidates at the primary election unless the party opens its primary to voters registered as Not a member of a party. If this is the case, voters who are Not a member of a party must request major party ballots from their county elections office. • All nonpartisan offices (i.e. judges and district attorneys) are also on the primary election ballot. Any registered voter may vote for those candidates, regardless of the voters political party affiliation.
Major political parties (Democratic and Republican) nominate their candidates at a Primary Election, which is held on the third Tuesday in May of each even-numbered year. Only a voter who is registered as a member of either political party may vote for that party’s candidates at the Primary Election. All nonpartisan offices (i.e. judges and district attorneys, etc.) are also on the Primary Election ballot. Any registered voter may vote for those candidates, regardless of the voter’s political party affiliation.
The general definition of the term primary means preliminary, first, or most important. It’s really no different in regard to a primary election, which is the preliminary step in the process of electing a candidate running for office in the United States. Many other countries follow different systems, but a primary election is held in the U.S. to see who will receive the nomination from his or her political party during the convention. The candidate who receives the nomination, will run against the candidate nominated by the other party – or parties as the case may be. Many voters don’t seem to realize that the primary election is the most important phase. This is when each vote counts the most, because it gives people the ability to decide who the best candidate is. Unfortunately, many people skip the primary election and only vote in the general election, many of them complaining that their party’s candidate is not the one they would have chosen. People who take their vote seriously
