primaries and caucuses (2)

types of primary

open

  • Anyone registered to vote can choose to vote in either the Republican or Democrat Primary (but not both).

  • 22 states held open primaries in 2020 election including Alabama, Alaska and Texas.

closed

  • A person can only vote in the party primary if they are a registered supporter of that party. To do this, they have to tick a box when they are registered to vote.

  • 14 states had closed primaries in 2020 including Nevada, New Mexico and New York.

implications of open primaries

positive

  • Maximises choice for voters. Important if only one party is having primaries in a particular year.

  • Attracts more moderate voters. 

negative

  • Can be subject to spoiling tactics – i.e. Republicans might vote in a Democrat primary to damage the chances of a candidate or just to promote a contest until the end which will cost a lot of money.

  • Can be argued they are unnecessary and only supporters of that party should be allowed to vote.

example: 2012 Wisconsin Republican open primary 11% said they were Democrats. Mitt Romney won primary overall with 44% to Rick Santorum's 37% - Santorum beat Romney by 20 points amongst Democrats – suggesting conservative Democrats genuinely preferred Santorum's policies to Obama/Romney – or were mischievous Democrats casting votes for 'easier' opponent

implications of closed primaries

positive

  • Prevents spoiling tactics.

  • Protects party identity.

negative

  • Can prevent independents from voting which might damage electoral chances.

  • Particularly unfair in a year where only one party holds a primary.

do primaries play a positive role in us politics

main topics:

  • Voter choice/democracy

  • Policy awareness and participation

  • Parties

Voter choice/democracy

  • Prim. ↑ voter power by adding another set of elections for selecting president

  • Voters can choose from range of competing policies + ideologies within political party – candidates from all factions typically run in primary

  • Prim. can offer choice by social characteristic, gives voters opportunity of policy + diverse characteristic.

    • 2020 - first Democrat primary had choice of 12 candidates

  • Use of voting in diff states on different dates creates a major democratic flaw in the primary system – earlier you vote = ↑ influence you have.

    • 2024 – 2 Republican candidates dropped out after the Iowa caucaus – so voters in Iowa had far more choice than voters elsewhere.

  • Voter choice can be harmed by ‘unbound delegates’ who can vote however they wish, regardless of public voting in that state.

policy awareness and participation

  • Primary process lets ppl develop greater political awareness of policies.

  • Creates ideas factory for party a whole, making new policies.

    • 2000 - Bush defeated McCain in primaries but policy of campaign finance reform gained traction + passed into law

  • Greater awareness can translate to greater political participation.

  • TV viewing figures in debates not particularly high.

  • Voting in diff states on diff dates cause critical problem for voter participation. Voters in later states often can't vote - become disenfranchised.

  • 2020 - race finished when Sanders dropped out. Voters in remaining 26 states not allowed to vote. No state in 2020 had 50%+ turnout - N. Dakota = 2.6%, Montana = 45%

  • Existence of closed primaries restricts participation

parties

  • Primaries test candidates' ability to campaign + win elections.

  • Personal issues/concerns abt candidate can surface during primaries

    • Allows strongest candidate to emerge + reduces risk of damaging revelations during general election

  • Primaries can harm political party due to intense candidate conflict

  • Primary winner may be politically weakened, affecting chances of winning presidency

    • 2016 Sanders criticized Clinton’s Washington insider ties + Wall Street connections

  • Trump capitalized on Sanders' criticisms, appealing to working class + defeating Clinton

  • Signif. resources spent on primaries (e.g., 2012, 2020, 2024), while incumbent president seeking second term avoids such costs + saves resources for general election

  • There is a distinction to be made between criticisms of a primary process in general, and the specific system used in the USA.