1. Open primaries
Every voter gets a primary ballot. Over 26 million Americans are currently locked out for refusing to join a party.
Compare open and closed primariesPro-voter. Party-agnostic.
Open primaries for every voter.
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Open primaries let every registered voter take part in the primary election, whether or not they belong to a political party.
The Independent Voter Project, a nonpartisan election reform organization founded in 2006, works to open primaries for every voter. It wrote California's Top-Two primary, now used by nearly 40 million Californians, and is suing New York over closed primaries that shut out 3,187,610 registered voters. Open primaries are the first reform it asks new supporters to back.
Definition
What are open primaries?
Open primaries are primary elections in which any registered voter can participate, regardless of party registration. In a party-based open primary, voters pick one party's ballot on election day. In a nonpartisan open primary, the kind the Independent Voter Project champions, every candidate appears on one ballot, every voter gets that ballot, and the top finishers advance to November regardless of party.
The difference matters because primaries are publicly run and paid for with taxes. In closed primary states, a voter who declines to join a party can pay for the election and still be handed no ballot.
Who gets a ballot? Five kinds of primary.
Primary rules sit on a spectrum. The further right a state sits, the more of its voters can take part in the round that often decides the race.
- Closed15 statesOnly registered party members vote. Independents get no ballot.e.g. New York
- Semi-closed10 incl. D.C.Unaffiliated voters may pick one party ballot. No crossover.e.g. Rhode Island
- Semi-open3 statesAny voter may request a party ballot, but the choice may be recorded.e.g. Colorado
- OpenAny voter chooses a party ballot on election day without registering.e.g. Alabama
- NonpartisanOne ballot, every candidate, every voter. Top finishers advance.e.g. California, Alaska
State counts and examples from our audit.
Open primaries by the numbers
40M
Californians vote in the nonpartisan Top-Two primary IVP authored in 2010.
63M
Americans are registered independent or unaffiliated, 28.9% of all voters.
15
States run closed primaries that exclude voters with no party.
3,187,610
New York voters barred from primaries, the subject of Rieckhoff v. Berger.
Why do open primaries matter?
Because in most districts, the primary is the real election. More than 90% of congressional seats are considered safe for one party, so whoever wins the primary is all but certain to win in November. When independents are shut out of that round, they are shut out of the decision.
Closed primaries also shape who runs. Candidates who only need to win over party insiders and base voters have little reason to speak to everyone else. Opening the primary changes the audience every candidate must persuade.
“Voters shouldn't have to ask permission from a political party to participate in an election paid for with their tax dollars.”
Three reforms, in the order to start
Begin with open primaries. Then explore More Choice Voting, which builds on them. Super PAC limits complete the mission.
2. More Choice Voting
An open primary sends more than two finishers to a general election decided by ranked choice or approval voting.
How More Choice Voting works3. Limit Super PACs
74.9% of Maine voters approved a $5,000 cap on Super PAC donations. FIVE is defending that law in court.
What Super PACs areTake action with the Independent Voter Project
The quickest way to take action with the Independent Voter Project is to sign the open primaries petition, which takes about 30 seconds. From the same Take Action page you can donate to fund legal action and policy research, or subscribe to nonpartisan reform updates.
New York voters can also sign a declaration supporting Rieckhoff v. Berger, the federal lawsuit IVP filed on October 1, 2026. Read the step-by-step guide to taking action.
Common questions
- What is the definition of an open primary?
- An open primary is a primary election in which a voter does not have to be a registered member of a political party to take part. Definitions vary by state. In some states voters pick one party's ballot on election day, and in nonpartisan systems such as California's Top-Two, every candidate appears on one ballot that every voter receives.
- What are open primaries in simple terms?
- Open primaries let every registered voter help choose which candidates reach the general election, regardless of party registration. The Independent Voter Project argues that because primaries are run by the state and paid for with public money, citizenship rather than party membership should be the qualification to vote in them.
- What is the difference between open and closed primaries?
- In a closed primary, only voters registered with a party can vote in that party's primary. In an open primary, voters can participate without joining a party. Between the two sit semi-closed and semi-open systems, and at the most open end are nonpartisan primaries, where every candidate and every voter share one ballot.
- Which states have open primaries in 2026?
- Rules differ for state, congressional, and presidential races, so the answer depends on the office. Alabama runs open primaries, California uses a nonpartisan Top-Two, Alaska uses a nonpartisan top-four for state races, and Colorado is semi-open. For your exact state, check your election office or IVP's state voter data pages, updated in November 2026.
- How many states have open primaries?
- It depends on how you count. IVP's primary elections guide classifies 15 states as closed, meaning voters without a party are shut out entirely. The remaining 35 states and Washington, D.C. let unaffiliated voters take part in at least some way, through semi-closed, semi-open, open, or nonpartisan systems.
- Which states have top-two primaries?
- California uses a nonpartisan Top-Two primary for state and congressional offices, adopted when voters passed Proposition 14 in 2010. Washington also uses a top-two system. Alaska uses a related nonpartisan top-four primary for state races. Presidential primaries in these states follow separate party rules, so check each election.
- What should I do first to support election reform?
- Support open primaries first. It is the reform that reaches the most voters soonest, and the simplest step is signing the open primaries petition, which takes about 30 seconds. After that, explore More Choice Voting, which builds on open primaries by bringing more candidates into the general election.
Start with open primaries.
Signing the open primaries petition takes about 30 seconds. Then explore More Choice Voting, the reform that builds on it.