American Government
Unit 4 | Executive Branch
Caucus vs. Primary
The electoral process to nominate a candidate for a
presidential election is usually called "the primaries,"
but there are two different systems that states use:
caucus and primary.
Unlike a primary, where residents simply cast their
ballots, a caucus is a local gathering where voters
openly decide which candidate to support. The caucus
format favors candidates who have a dedicated and
organized following because a small band of devoted
volunteers can exert an outsized influence in the open
setting of a caucus.
States choose whether they want to hold primaries or
caucuses. Most states hold primaries but states like
Iowa, Louisiana, Minnesota and Maine use the caucus system.
Comparison chart
Caucus
Primary
Voting method
Voting is conducted at local party
meetings and is done by raising
hands or breaking up into groups.
An election is held/ secret ballot
Who can vote
Only members registered with the
political party can participate (if
closed system)
Depends upon the state. Some
states allow only registered party
members to vote; some allow party
registrations on the same day; some
are completely open to all residents
of the state.
States
States that use the caucus system
are Alaska, Colorado, Hawaii,
Kansas, Maine, Minnesota,
Nevada, North Dakota, Wyoming
and Iowa
All other states
The Process
Voting in a primary or caucus
At a caucus, members of a political party meet in person at an appointed time and location to discuss
the candidates and debate their merits. The voting for candidates happens either by raising hands or
by separating into groups, with the votes being counted manually by counting the number of
supporters of each candidate.
In contrast, a primary is much like a regular election i.e. depending upon the type of primary, those
eligible to vote cast a secret ballot.
The caucus system was the original way in which political parties choose candidates. However,
people began to feel that the secret ballot was a fairer, more democratic system so in the beginning of
the 20th century, states began to move to the primary system.
Delegates
At the heart of the electoral process is the system of delegates. Each state has a certain number of
delegates that represent the state at the National Convention of either political party (Democrat or
Republican). It is at this event that the party's presidential nominee is chosen.
The delegates of each state are "awarded" to one of the presidential candidates and the candidate with
the most number of delegates on his/her side wins the nomination. Some states use a winner-take-all
approach and award all their delegates to the winner of the caucus or primary in that state. Some
states award delegates in proportion to the percentage of votes the candidates receive.
In general, states decide whether to hold a primary or caucus and this decision applies to both parties.
But in some cases (for example, Washington) there are variances between the process used by
Republican and Democratic parties in the same state.
Another difference is that there are some delegates (called unpledged delegates in the Republican
system and superdelegates in the Democratic system) who are not bound by the results of the caucus
or primary in their state. They are free to vote for the candidate of their choosing.
Types of Primaries
●
Closed Primary: People may vote in a party's primary only if they are registered members of
that party. Independents cannot participate.
●
Semi-closed: As in closed primaries, registered party members can vote only in their own
party's primary. However it allows unaffiliated voters to participate as well. Depending on the state,
independents either make their choice of party primary privately, inside the voting booth, or publicly,
by registering with any party on Election Day.
●
Open Primary: A registered voter may vote in any party primary regardless of his own party
affiliation. When voters do not register with a party before the primary, it is called a pick-a-party
primary because the voter can select which party's primary he or she wishes to vote in on Election
Day. Because of the open nature of this system, a practice known as raiding may occur. Raiding
consists of voters of one party crossing over and voting in the primary of another party, effectively
allowing a party to help choose its opposition's candidate. The theory is that opposing party members
vote for the weakest candidate of the opposite party in order to give their own party the advantage in
the general election. An example of this can be seen in the 1998 Vermont senatorial primary with the
nomination of Fred Tuttle as the Republican candidate in the general election.
●
Semi-open: A registered voter need not publicly declare which political party's primary that
they will vote in before entering the voting booth. When voters identify themselves to the election
officials, they must request a party's specific ballot. Only one ballot is cast by each voter. In many
states with semi-open primaries, election officials or poll workers from their respective parties record
each voter's choice of party and provide access to this information. The primary difference between a
semi-open and open primary system is the use of a party-specific ballot. In a semi-open primary, a
public declaration in front of the election judges is made and a party-specific ballot given to the voter
to cast. Certain states that use the open-primary format may print a single ballot and the voter must
choose on the ballot itself which political party's candidates they will select for a contested office.
●
Run-off: A primary in which the ballot is not restricted to one party and the top two
candidates advance to the general election regardless of party affiliation. (A run-off differs from a
primary in that a second round is only needed if no candidate attains a majority in the first round.)
●
Mixed Systems: In West Virginia, where state law allows parties to determine whether
primaries are open to independents, Republican primaries are open to independents, while
Democratic primaries were closed. However, on April 1, 2007, West Virginia's Democratic Party
opened its voting to allow "individuals who are not affiliated with any existing recognized party to
participate in the election process".
State by state information
State
Type
Delaware
Closed Primary
Alabama
Open Primary
District of Columbia
Primary
Alaska
Caucuses
Florida
Closed Primary
Arizona
Closed PPE
Georgia
Open Primary
Arkansas
Open Primary
Hawaii
Open Caucuses
California
Primary
Idaho
Open Primary
Colorado
Caucuses
Illinois
Semi-Open Primary
Connecticut
Closed Primary
Indiana
Open Primary
Iowa
Caucuses
North Carolina
Semi-Open Primary
Kansas
Caucuses
North Dakota
Open Caucuses
Kentucky
Closed Primary
Ohio
Semi-Open Primary
Louisiana
Caucus
Oklahoma
Closed Primary
Maine
Caucuses
Oregon
Closed Primary
Maryland
Closed Primary
Pennsylvania
Closed Primary
Massachusetts
Semi-Closed
Primary
Rhode Island
Primary
South Carolina
Open Primary
Michigan
Open Primary
South Dakota
Closed Primary
Minnesota
Open Caucuses
Tennessee
Open Primary
Mississippi
Open Primary
Texas
Missouri
Open Primary
Semi-Open Primary
& Closed Caucuses
Montana
Open Primary
Utah
Closed Primary
Nebraska
Primary
Vermont
Open Primary
Nevada
Caucuses
Virginia
Open Primary
New Hampshire
Semi-Open Primary
Washington
Open Caucuses
New Jersey
Primary
West Virginia
Closed Primary
New Mexico
Republican
Primary; Democrat
closed caucuses
Wisconsin
Open Primary
Wyoming
Caucuses
New York
Closed Primary
Source: http://www.diffen.com/difference/Caucus_vs_Primary