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A primary may either be an '''open''' primary or a '''closed''' primary in most cases.
A primary may either be an '''open''' primary or a '''closed''' primary in most cases.
In a closed primary, a voter must (upon registering to vote) declare his/her party affiliation or declare as an independent. Only voters who affiliate with a party are eligible to vote in that party's primary elections. [[Oklahoma]] and [[Florida]] are among states who use closed primaries.
In a closed primary, a voter must (upon registering to vote) declare his/her party affiliation or declare as an independent. Only voters who affiliate with a party are eligible to vote in that party's primary elections; unaffiliated voters cannot participate in either primary. [[Oklahoma]] and [[Florida]] are among states who use closed primaries.
In an open primary, a voter is not required to declare a party affiliation until Election Day (including early voting), when s/he can arrive at a primary and declare his/her intention to vote in it. However, the voter can only vote in one party's primary election. [[Texas]] is among states which use open primaries.<ref>Texas allows a voter who didn't vote in a primary election to vote in a subsequent runoff election (but again, only for one party); a voter who voted in one party's primary can't subsequently vote in the other party's runoff election. Also, a Texas voter who participated in a primary cannot then participate in another party's convention, nor can the voter sign a petition for an independent candidate.</ref>
In an open primary, a voter is not required to declare a party affiliation until Election Day (including early voting), when s/he can arrive at a primary and declare his/her intention to vote in it. However, the voter can only vote in one party's primary election. [[Texas]] is among states which use open primaries.<ref>Texas allows a voter who didn't vote in a primary election to vote in a subsequent runoff election (but again, only for one party); a voter who voted in one party's primary can't subsequently vote in the other party's runoff election. Also, a Texas voter who participated in a primary cannot then participate in another party's convention, nor can the voter sign a petition for an independent candidate.</ref>
[[North Carolina]] uses a hybrid of the two: voters who declare party affiliation can only vote in that party's primary (primary "switching" is not allowed), but unaffiliated voters may vote in either primary.
In addition to electing party candidates for the general election, a primary may also ask party voters to vote on non-binding resolutions, which seek to determine how they feel on certain issues. Usually, the resolutions are written such that a "YES" vote means the voter agrees with the party's view while a "NO" vote means the voter disagrees.
In addition to electing party candidates for the general election, a primary may also ask party voters to vote on non-binding resolutions, which seek to determine how they feel on certain issues. Usually, the resolutions are written such that a "YES" vote means the voter agrees with the party's view while a "NO" vote means the voter disagrees.