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U.S. Elections: Primary Elections—U.S. Elections Series
3 MINUTE READ
April 17, 2016

A voter marks her ballot during an “off-year” election in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2011. States can hold elections any year to fill local and state offices and for other reasons usually determined by a state’s constitution. © AP Photo/Mark Duncan
A voter marks her ballot during an “off-year” election in Cleveland, Ohio, in 2011. States can hold elections any year to fill local and state offices and for other reasons usually determined by a state’s constitution. © AP Photo/Mark Duncan

Primary elections and caucuses held in each U.S. state are essential to the way that political parties select their presidential candidates. Some primaries, called closed, are restricted to voters who have registered their political party affiliations. Open primaries allow any registered voter to cast a ballot, regardless of party affiliation.

(Pamphlet, 2 pgs.)

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