By: Alison, Anthony, Brittany Objective 26f Compare and Contrast the different types of elections to include primaries, general elections, run-off elections, and special elections. By: Alison, Anthony, Brittany

Primaries A direct primary - an intra-party election. It is held within a party to pick that party’s candidates for the general election. Every state now makes at least some provision for its use.

Evaluation of the Primary The direct primary whether closed or open, is an intraparty nominating election. It was intended to take the nominating function away from the party organization and put it in the hands of the party’s membership

The basic forms of the direct primary are in use today: 1. The Closed Primary 2. The Open Primary

Closed Primaries Closed primary - a party’s nominating election in which only declared party members can vote. The party’s primary is closed to all but those party members. 24 states today provide for the closed primary

Open Primaries Open primary - is a party’s nominating election in which any qualified voter can cast a ballot. 26 states today provide for the open primary today.

Closed vs. Open Those who favor the closed primary regularly make three arguments in support of it: It prevents one party from “raiding” the other’s primary in the hope of nominating weaker candidates in the other party.

It helps make candidates more responsive to the party, its platform, and its member. It helps make voters more thoughtful, because they must choose between the parties in order to vote in the primaries. The critics of the closed primary contend that:

It tends to exclude independent voters from the nomination process. It compromises the secrecy of the ballot, because it forces voters to make their party preferences known in public. It tends to exclude independent voters from the nomination process.

Those who favor the open primary regularly argue that: Voters are not forced to make their party preferences known in public. The tendency to exclude independent voters is eliminated. The critics of the open primary contend that:

Permits primary “raiding” Undercuts the concepts of party loyalty and party responsibility. General Election – Regularly scheduled election at which voters make a final selection of officeholders.

Special Election - Is basically another election for a nomination that didn’t get passed or exceed the percent to go in effect. It is mostly done on the local level. Run-off Primary – A primary in which the top 2 vote getters in the first direct primary face one another for the party’s nomination.

A general election is different from a special election because: A general election is done more on the state and federal level than a special election. A general election is a final selection of officeholders as the special election could or could not be the final selection.