The different primaries, and how they work from state to state ACADEMIC

[ShaneGR]

Being the good Applied Politics Major that I am, I thought it would be nice to spread information on how each state's primary works and what it means. Some states may have changed since the publication of my book in 2002.

There are six different kinds of primaries:

Closed
Semi-Closed
Semi-Open
Open
Non-Partisan
Blanket

Closed Primaries
Party registration is required, you cannot vote in the primary if you aren't previously registered.
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Kentucky
Maine
Nebraska
Nevada
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
Oklahoma
Pennsylvania
South Dakota

Semi-Closed Primaries
Independents allowed to vote in party primaries or voters are allowed to change their party affiliation and vote in that primary.
Arizona
California
Cololorado
Iowa
Kansas
Maryland
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
North Carolina
Oregon
Rhode Island
Utah
West Virginia
Wyoming

Semi-Open (My system in Ohio)
A voter declares their party affiliation by voting in that party's primary. There is no other way to register with a party. You can switch parties at will, but can only vote in one primary at a time.
Alabama
Arkansas
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Mississippi
Ohio
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Virginia

Open
Voter decides in which primary to vote in the privacy of the voting booth.
Hawaii
Idaho
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Montana
North Dakota
Vermont
Wisconsin

Non-partisan
Top-two primary vote getters, regardless of party, are nominated for general election.
Louisiana

Blanket (I think this changed)
Voter can vote in more than one primary at one time. But only for one candidate per office.
Washington

[democratreformed]

1. Some information on dates:

February 24th, 2004

Hawaii Democratic Caucuses
Idaho Democratic Caucuses
Utah Democratic Presidential Primary

And in some of these states, they are closed to Republicans.

March 2nd, 2004
California Presidential Primary (Modified Closed)
Connecticut Presidential Primary (Closed)
Georgia Presidential Preference Primary (Open)
Maryland Presidential Primary (Closed)
Massachusetts Presidential Primary
Minnesota Democratic Caucuses
Minnesota Republican Caucuses
New York Presidential Primary (Closed)
Ohio Presidential Primary (Open)
Rhode Island Presidential Preference Primary
Vermont Presidential Primary (Open)

March 9th, 2004
Florida Presidential Primary (Closed)
Louisiana Presidential Preference Election (Open)
Mississippi Presidential Primary (Open)
Texas Presidential Primary (Open)
Washington Republican Caucuses

[ShaneGR]

2. Utah, Idaho

Those appear to be states Edwards could continue his momentum in. Hawaii's a lock for Kerry I would think.