primary elections

Primary elections are preliminary voting processes where members of a political party select their preferred candidate to represent the party in the upcoming general election. These contests help parties determine which candidate has the most support among their voters. Participating voters usually must be registered members of the party or meet specific requirements. Primary elections can be open, allowing any voter to participate, or closed, limited to registered party members. The candidate who wins the majority of votes in the primary advances to compete in the general election against other party nominees or independent candidates.