True or false. You only need to vote in the November presidential election and not the primary elections.
FALSE!
For most American voters, the presidential primary elections matter more than the general election. Like I’ve said before, if you live in a red state or a blue state, your vote in the presidential election won’t make a difference. The rest of your state will overwhelming vote for a Democrat or a Republican. Your vote won’t change your state’s outcome. (That said, if you vote third-party, you could help future candidates receive public funding like the Republicans and Democrats).
But the primary elections are an entirely different story.
The presidential primaries determine who will represent the Republicans and the Democrats during the November election. Instead of voting between just 2 candidates, you have the choice of 3 Democrats or 12 Republicans. Unlike the general election, you actually have a chance of voting for your preferred candidate, not just the “lesser of two evils.”
Related: Presidential Primary Election FAQs
How do the primary elections work?
To understand the primary elections, you first need to know a few key political terms.
Caucus: A public vote where people literally hang out in a massive room and stand on the side of their candidate. People can change their mind and move to another side of the room. You have to stay until the end if you want your vote to count. Unlike a primary, which is organized by local government, the political party itself holds the caucus.
Closed primary: A voting process similar to the general election, but you must be a member of the political party to vote. To vote in the Republican primary, you must be a registered Republican. To vote in the Democratic primary, you must be a registered Democrat.
Mixed primary: Independents can choose to vote in the Republican or the Democratic primary, but only one. Republicans and Democrats follow the same rules as a closed primary.
Open primary: Anyone can vote in the primary of their choice. Republicans can vote in the Democratic primary. Democrats can vote in the Republican primary. You can still only vote in one primary.
Super Tuesday: When a whole bunch of states hold their presidential primaries on the same day. This year, Super Tuesday is March 1, 2016. It includes 14 states plus American Samoa.
Delegates (pledged): The people who actually get to vote at the conventions, who may or may not represent the votes cast in their state. In a binding primary, delegates must vote on behalf of the voters in the state. If the approach is “winner takes all,” then the delegates all vote for the presidential candidate with the majority of votes. If the approach is “proportional,” then the delegates for the presidential candidates in proportion to their votes received. Delegates are important political party members locally.
Superdelegates (unpledged): Super-important political party members like senators, governors, and former presidents/vice-presidents. They vote for whomever they choose, supposedly to represent the will of the overall party.
Democratic National Convention: A big party where the Democratic delegates and superdelegates vote for the Democratic presidential nominee.
Republican National Convention: A big party where the Republican delegates and superdelegates vote for the Republican presidential nominee.
Still confused? Luckily there’s a great (and brief!) video explaining the primary elections.
Or you can read the Wikipedia article on the presidential primary elections.
Why should I vote in the primary elections?
1) Two words: Donald Trump.
Do you REALLY want Donald Trump to be our next president?
If not, you either need to elect a Democratic presidential nominee who can beat him in the general election, or you need to elect a Republican presidential nominee who can win the Republican nomination. This can only happen if we all vote in the primary elections.
2) Your vote matters.
Or rather, if you’re in one of the early caucuses or primaries, your vote matters. Your vote can create the front-runner. In the 2012 Iowa caucus, Mitt Romney received 29,805 votes, Ron Paul received 26,036 votes, and Rick Santorum received 29,839 votes. In the 2008 primary elections, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama went back and forth with the lead, each winning major state primaries. Clinton was leading after Super Tuesday, but Obama took the lead by February 19th.
Plus one political analyst has predicted a close Republican race this year, without a clear front-runner until mid-March or even April.
Edit 04/20/2016: VOTING IN THE PRIMARY STILL MATTERS! The 2016 primaries are the most exciting presidential primaries America has had in decades. Neither the Republican nor the Democratic party has a definite winner yet.
Primary elections can be close races. As a libertarian, people often tell me that I’m “wasting my vote.” I think the only wasted vote is the vote not cast. But if you really want to talk about “wasting your vote,” your vote is wasted in the general election if you live in a blue or red state. If you want your vote to make a real difference, vote in the primary elections.
3) Voting is a great privilege, with great responsibility.
Americans are pretty damned lucky to have the right to vote. Is the system a little confusing? Yes. Is it perfect? Hell no. (Third-party candidates get screwed). Is it still a pretty awesome process that tries to represent the wishes of all Americans? Yes!
American women have had the right to vote for less than a century. The Voting Rights Act didn’t pass until 1965. Americans who came before us often faced great adversity in order to gain suffrage. Honor their courage this year. Vote.
When are the primary elections?
Find your state below! For a full list, including Americans abroad or in US territories, refer to this primary election calendar.
Monday, February 1: Iowa caucus
Tuesday, February 9: New Hampshire primary
Saturday, February 20: Nevada caucus for Democrats, South Carolina primary for Republicans
Tuesday, February 23: Nevada caucus for Republicans
Saturday, February 27: South Carolina primary for Democrats
Super Tuesday, March 1:
- Alabama primary
- Alaska caucus (Republican)
- Arkansas primary
- Colorado caucus
- Georgia primary
- Massachusetts primary
- Minnesota caucus
- North Dakota caucus (Republican)
- Oklahoma primary
- Tennessee primary
- Texas primary
- Vermont primary
- Virginia primary
- Wyoming caucus (Republican)
Saturday, March 5:
- Kansas caucus
- Kentucky caucus (Republican)
- Louisiana primary
- Maine caucus (Republican)
- Nebraska caucus (Democrat)
Sunday, March 6: Maine caucus for Democrats
Tuesday, March 8:
- Hawaii caucus (Republican)
- Idaho primary (Republican)
- Michigan primary
- Mississippi primary
Saturday, March 12: District of Columbia caucus for Republicans
Tuesday, March 15:
- Florida primary
- Illinois primary
- Missouri primary
- North Carolina primary
- Ohio primary
Tuesday, March 22:
- Arizona primary
- Idaho caucus for Democrats
- Utah primary
Saturday, March 26:
- Alaska caucus for Democrats
- Hawaii caucus for Democrats
- Washington caucus for Democrats
Tuesday, April 5: Wisconsin primary
Saturday, April 9: Wyoming primary for Democrats
Tuesday, April 19: New York primary
Tuesday, April 26:
- Connecticut primary
- Delaware primary
- Maryland primary
- Pennsylvania primary
- Rhode Island primary
Tuesday, May 3: Indiana primary
Tuesday, May 10: Nebraska primary for Republicans, West Virginia primary
Tuesday, May 17: Kentucky primary for Democrats, Oregon primary
Tuesday, May 24: Washington primary for Republicans
Tuesday, June 7:
- California primary
- Montana primary
- New Jersey primary
- New Mexico primary
- North Dakota caucus for Democrats
- South Dakota primary
Tuesday, June 14: District of Columbia primary for Democrats
If you think voting is important, please share this post with your friends and family! Together we can vote during the primaries in record-breaking numbers! Who’s with me?!
P.S. Still have questions? I’ve put together a handy FAQ! Have questions about the general election? I’ve shared voter registration deadlines, early voting dates, and other important races besides president!
I was just talking to a friend about this! I convinced her to look up her voting place and put March 1 in her phone so she remembers. This election I think it’s especially important since there are no true frontrunners yet and anything could happen. So let’s make our voice heard. Not Trump!
It’s both exciting and terrifying. None of us have any idea what will happen! I’m so glad you’re encouraging people to vote too. I feel like the primaries often get overlooked, but they’re SO important.
Huh. This is super interesting and super important. Thanks for the breakdown and the video! I can’t remember if I’m registered as a republican or an independent…. but I’m gonna look into it and head to the polls on March 15th! Thanks!
I’m so glad to hear that! If you want to vote in the Republican primary, make sure your state is either a mixed primary or an open primary. Otherwise register as a Republican. I’m not really sure how to do that in advance. Luckily you have plenty of time to figure it out!
This post is such a public service. Seriously. I think I would have missed the TX primary, being used to the Indiana date being so much later.
I moved shortly before the last presidential election. I ended up voting absentee in my home state since I didn’t have enough time to register to vote in Ohio! It was interesting living in a swing state during the election, though. Ohio makes it really easy to vote absentee. SC was a lot more effort.
Canadian barely-political here, so I don’t really understand the intricacies of American elections, but I was confused when you said your vote is wasted if you’re living in a “blue state” or a “red state”. Doesn’t that just mean a state that historically votes mostly Republican or mostly Democrat? I live in Alberta, and this past year the people were so fed up with over 40 years of Conservative power that we voted in a completely different party. The Cons didn’t see that coming; they thought they had it in the bag just as they did for the past four decades. Same on the national stage. We were tired of nearly 10 years of one jerk as our Prime Minister (your equivalent to President) who pandered to racists, Islamophobes, climate change denyers and anyone who wants to “help our own first” as long as it didn’t mean using tax dollars to improve homelessness or women’s rights. I think a lot of Canada is rather apathetic to voting because we don’t normally “see change”, but in just the last 6 months we’ve seen MAJOR change in our country and provinces. What the people can do when they’re mad!
That’s okay; I don’t really understand the intricacies of Canadian elections! I’m going to explain a little of the background behind my comment. I hope it doesn’t come off as condescending, but there’s no tone of voice online. 🙂
1) I co-opted the language of “wasting your vote” from people who say that to me because I vote third-party. Basically people say that if you vote for someone who has no chance of winning, you’re “wasting your vote.” Which is ridiculous, because those people are only thinking short-term and not long-term. So my argument is a counter to that idea.
2) The US only has two major parties, whereas it seems that Canada has more. If I understand correctly from a brief article I read on Canadian politics, Canada has multiple parties who actually get decent votes. So voting margins are probably closer within electoral districts. A red state or a blue state doesn’t just historically vote for a Republican or a Democratic president; they do so with a margin of 10% or higher. (States that always vote Republican/Democrat by a smaller margin are sometimes called “pink” or “light blue” states). The terminology also comes from our “winner takes all” system with the electoral college (not counting Maine and Nebraska). So while districts in a red state might vote for a Democrat to the House of Representatives, they’re outnumbered in the presidential election. Presidential elections are pretty much always decided by “purple” states, or swing states.
Basically, voting is ALWAYS important. But since a lot of Americans still subscribe to the idea of a “wasted vote” (voting for a candidate who won’t win in your state), I used that language to point out that if you live in a blue or red state, your vote won’t make a difference in the outcome of the presidential election.
So are you going to stick with pure libertarian and vote Rand or go with Cruz helping him to beat out Trump? I am torn myself! I am also a little jaded after the convention last year and all that went down with Ron Paul. Part of me thinks they are going to find a way to weasel Jeb in there and shove him down our throats! Gag! Anyway, glad to run across another brain possessing person out there! Great article. I am working on a meme for my FB page you’ll enjoy that I will have up in a couple days. I hope you will check it out.
Ha, I’m actually voting for Bernie Sanders in the Democratic primary. His socialist stuff is so far out that Congress will never pass it whereas I agree with his moderate stuff. He’s pro-choice and surprisingly moderate on 2nd amendment rights.
In the general election, I’m voting for Gary Johnson, just like I did four years ago.
I actually feel sorry for Jeb. I get the impression that he’s basically running for president because his family expects him to. Like, he just doesn’t seem to be that into it, you know?
That is an interesting tactic. Please tell me that you do agree that Sanders is completely bat-shit crazy and does not understand the most basic principles of economics. I am afraid more of the ‘socialist stuff’ will get through than you think, just in a ridiculous watered-down form that screws the just above poverty line people the most. I voted for Gary Johnson too, but I could stomach voting for Cruz if he makes it. If it is Jeb v. Hillary I’ll vote Johnson again.
I’m very very very strongly against Hillary. Her husband is a rapist. I cannot in good conscience elect someone who stayed married to a rapist.
I live in Georgia, so I’m pretty sure the primary here will result in one of the conservative Republicans, regardless of how I vote. I don’t predict a huge voter turnout for the Democratic primary, which means it’s a good opportunity to vote against Hillary, with it actually making a difference. I know that voting for Gary Johnson in the general election can only make a difference in the next election, but I’m okay with thinking long-term.
Thank you for this! This is SO important for this year! Sadly, my state is one of the last primary states (CA) so we’re kind of in the realm of “not really counting” but I think we have the most delegates at the conventions.
A state as populated as California would probably make a big difference if it was early on. Maybe that’s why it’s later. A lot of the early states don’t have many delegates.
I didn’t realize California’s primary was so late in the game! I didn’t vote in the primaries for my first election because I made a big deal about “declining to state” but this time around I registered Democrat so I could vote in the primaries. It is SO important!!
Yeah, I had no idea they were so spread out. I guess I thought they were all January-April. I do think closed primaries kind of suck for independents, but it’s surprisingly easy to change your political registration. Plus I don’t mind being a “registered” Democrat as long as there isn’t a libertarian primary to vote in.
Agreed!! We are so similar!
What a great post!! Very informative. I plan on voting in the primary for sure. It is VERY important.
Awesome! I’m so glad to hear that. The Iowa caucus & New Hampshire primary are so soon! Eek!
This is a great breakdown! I never really followed politics much until this year so I’m new to all the terms and rules. I really appreciate you posting this info because it’s super helpful for newbies like me. Thanks so much for sharing at Inspiration Thursday!
I guess I intend to waste my vote in Virginia. I am voting for Trump. There is no way I would help either of the Democrats win. Hillary should not be elected just so we can say we elected a woman. She had some of our military killed in Benghazi. Trump is the man. Let the feminist crap begin. Happy VOTING!
So… you didn’t actually read the entire post.
I STRONGLY AGREE WITH YOU
If I’m a registered conservative in NY, can I still vote Republican in November?…….and what will happen if I vote Republican in April for the primaries? This is only my second year voting. Thank you
Are you registered with the American Conservative Party? If so, then you will not be able to vote in the NY primary, because it is closed. That means only registered Republicans can vote in the Republican primary. In November, you are free to vote Republican, or if there’s a candidate from the American Conservative Party, you can also vote for that person.
If you’re not registered with the American Conservative Party, if you’re a registered Republican, then you can vote in both the Republican primary next week and in the general election in November.
I hope that helps!
Thank you so much for clearing that up for me. Looks like I can’t vote till November then.
I did NOT appreciate how the person who wrote this talked about Donald Trump! I AM VOTING FOR DONALD TRUMP!
I agree!
Go trump!
I am not voting for either one of them. In the primary, or the general election. They both make me want to vomit.
Trump: Because of his attack on the disabled.
Clinton: Because, In her mantra of ‘breaking the glass ceiling’. She intentionally doesn’t mention accountability. Like men should be held accountable, but women shouldn’t.
In the general election, I hope you’ll consider voting for Gary Johnson.
No, He is probably a combination of Trump and Clinton.
I encourage you to actually research Gary Johnson and see if his policy stances align with your own. I have no idea what your personal political preferences are, but I wouldn’t dismiss a candidate without reading up on him first.
trump never did attack the disabled
Snopes does a great overview of this, with multiple citations and a video of Donald Trump mimicking a reporter with a disability.
http://www.snopes.com/2016/07/28/donald-trump-criticized-for-mocking-disabled-reporter/
And this article includes a quote from Donald Trump in which he certainly appears to mock a paraplegic.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-lashes-out-at-his-conservative-critics/