What is a primary election?

[This is the first in a series of educational articles about elections and local government. It is intended to fill in some knowledge gaps about how elections work in Indiana and the functions of local government. Both research and my personal experience tell me most people don't really understand either. I hope to help with that.]

In Indiana, there are two basic types of elections.  The first, which this article talks about, is in May of each election year and is called a "primary election".  The November election is called a "general election", more about that in a later article.

Unlike a general election, a primary election (usually shortened to just "primary") is not really an "election" because no one is actually winning a public office in a primary.  A primary is actually a nominating contest for the two major parties, Republican and Democratic. In a sense, there are actually two separate primaries run at the same time, for each party.

This process selects the major party candidates for the general election in November, when they face off against each other plus any third party or independent candidates.

Many voters don't understand why they have to choose a Democratic or Republican ballot. Under Indiana law, this is required. A voter, at least in theory, is supposed to choose the primary ballot of the party that they either A) supported a majority of their candidates in the last election, or B) intend to support a majority of that party's candidates in the next general election.  This means that voters pick their own affiliation of political party based on their own preferences.

This system is called a "closed primary" and has been the law in Indiana for decades. Other states have this as well, but some have versions of an "open primary" which allows voters to select from candidates of both parties. A few versions of an open primary even allow the two top candidates of one party to face off in a general election if they have the highest number of votes.

So, if you want to support a majority of Democratic candidates in the fall general election, you should be voting in the Democratic primary, and the same holds true for Republicans. This system allows Democrats to select Democratic candidates and Republicans to select Republican candidates, and are not causing mischief for each other.

There are other legal consequences of primary voting. If you want to be named to an appointed board or commission, most of those require bi-partisan representation. And party affiliation is determined by what party primary you voted for last. So if you voted in the 2016 Democratic Primary, you are a "registered Democrat", or at least that is how it is referred to. Indiana does not register party affiliation when you register to vote, but other states do. If you want to run for office as a Democrat, you must either have voted in the last Democratic primary, or get the permission of your local party chair.

Primary elections are important for a lot of other reasons. It helps a political party identify and organize their supporters, and measure their relative strengths. If you usually vote for Democratic candidates in the general election but vote in the other primary, it is technically illegal, and makes it a lot harder for both parties to know where you stand.

Sometimes no candidate files for a particular office in a primary.  The major parties can fill the empty spots for the November election with a party caucus in June.

If only one candidate files for an office in a primary, that is known as an "uncontested primary" for that office, and that candidate becomes the party nominee for the November election. If more candidates file for the primary than there are available spots (usually one, sometimes 3 or more), that is a "contested primary". The top vote-getter for each office becomes that party's nominee for the November election.

There is more, but those are the basics.  In upcoming articles, I will be giving an overview of the structure of local government, mostly on county offices since those are up for election in 2018. I will briefly explain what the different offices do.  And if you have questions, or suggestions for a later blog post, contact me on Facebook or email me at Greg@GregPurvis.com.