Primary elections in New York
 in New York |
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Primary elections allow voters to determine which candidates compete in the general election and can be nonpartisan or partisan. Nonpartisan and all-party primaries are used to narrow a wider field of candidates for a nonpartisan office. In partisan primaries, voters choose the candidates they prefer for a political party to nominate in the general election.
The laws governing primary elections vary from state to state and can even vary within states by locality and political party. This variation has created a number of different types of partisan primary elections. For example, only registered party members are allowed to vote in closed primaries, while registered party members and unaffiliated voters are allowed to vote in semi-closed primaries, and all voters are allowed to vote in open primaries.
Primary elections also vary by the way their outcomes are determined. Majority systems require the winning candidate to receive at least fifty percent of the votes cast, while plurality systems do not. In top-two primaries, top-four primaries, and blanket primaries, all candidates are listed on the same ballot, regardless of partisan affiliation.
See the sections below for general information on the use of primary elections in the United States and specific information on the types of primaries held in New York:
- Background: This section outlines the different types of primary election participation models used in the United States, including open primaries, closed primaries, semi-closed primaries, and top-two primaries. This section also details the various methods employed to determine the outcomes of primary elections.
- Primary election systems used in New York: This section details the primary election systems employed in New York, including primaries for congressional and state-level offices (e.g., state legislative seats, state executive offices, etc).
- State legislation and ballot measures: This sections lists state legislation relevant to primary election policy in New York.
Background
In general, there are two broad criteria by which primary elections can vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction:
- Terms of participation: In jurisdictions that conduct partisan primaries, who can vote in a party's primary? Is participation limited to registered party members, or can other eligible voters (such as unaffiliated voters or voters belonging to other parties) participate? In general, there are three basic types of primary election participation models: open primaries, closed primaries, and semi-closed primaries.
- New York uses a closed primary, where only registered party members may participate.
- Methods for determining the election's outcome: What share of the total votes cast does a candidate have to receive in order to advance to the general election? Methods for determining primary election outcomes include plurality voting systems, majority voting systems, and top-two primaries.
- New York uses a plurality voting system, where the candidate who receives the most votes advances to the general election.
Primary election systems used in New York
2020 presidential election
- See also: Presidential election in New York, 2020
The Democratic Party held a presidential primary in New York on April 28, 2020. Voters selected 274 of the 3,979 pledged delegates that participated in the Democratic National Convention. This made New York the state with the second most delegates, behind only California.
The Republican Party had scheduled a primary for the same day but canceled it after no candidates other than Donald Trump (R) qualified.[1]
 Click [show] for more on the Democratic presidential primary in New York. | |||
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 Click [show] for more on the Republican presidential primary in New York. | |||
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Congressional and state-level elections
In 20 states, at least one political party utilizes open primaries to nominate partisan candidates for congressional and state-level (e.g. state legislators, governors, etc.) offices. In 15 states, at least one party utilizes closed primaries to nominate partisan candidates for these offices. In 14 states, at least one party utilizes semi-closed primaries. In 5 states, top-two primaries or a variation are used.[15] These state primaries are a separate entity and are not included in the totals for open, closed, or semi-closed primaries.
New York law stipulates that only registered party members may participate in a party's primary election. Winners in primary elections in New York are determined via plurality vote.[16][17][18][19]
The table below lists New York offices for which parties must conduct primary elections to nominate their candidates.
| Elective offices for which parties must conduct primaries to nominate general election candidates | |
|---|---|
| Office | Number of seats |
| Governor of New York | 1 |
| Lieutenant Governor of New York | 1 |
| New York Attorney General | 1 |
| New York Comptroller | 1 |
| State legislators | 213 |
| United States Representatives | 27 |
| United States Senators | 2 |
| Local offices | Varies by municipality |
State legislation and ballot measures
The table below lists bills related to primary elections that have been introduced during (or carried over to) the current legislative session in New York. The following information is included for each bill:
- State
- Bill number
- Official name or caption
- Most recent action date
- Legislative status
- Topics dealt with by the bill
Bills are organized alphabetically, first by state and then by bill number. The table displays up to 100 results by default. To view additional results, use the arrows in the upper-right corner of the table. For more information about a particular bill, click the bill number. This will open a separate page with additional information.
Primary systems ballot measures
Since 2017, Ballotpedia has tracked no ballot measures relating to primary elections in New York.
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Politico, "New York cancels Republican presidential primary," March 3, 2020
- ↑ United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, "Yang v. Kellner: Opinion and Order," May 5, 2020
- ↑ The New York Times, "New York Board of Elections Cancels Democratic Presidential Primary," April 27, 2020
- ↑ United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, "Yang v. Kosinski: Summary Order," May 19, 2020
- ↑ Politico, "Cuomo delays presidential primary to June amid coronavirus pandemic," March 28, 2020
- ↑ New York Post, "Over 80,000 mail-in ballots disqualified in NYC primary mess," August 5, 2020
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "2020 DNC in Milwaukee pushed back to week of August 17 in response to coronavirus pandemic," April 2, 2020
- ↑ The New York Times, "Milwaukee Picked as Site of 2020 Democratic National Convention," March 11, 2019
- ↑ Talking Points Memo, "Bernie Sanders Ends 2020 Bid, Making Biden Presumptive Dem Nominee," April 8, 2020
- ↑ AP, "Biden formally clinches Democratic presidential nomination," June 5, 2020
- ↑ CNBC, "Joe Biden picks Sen. Kamala Harris to be his vice presidential running mate, making her the first black woman on a major ticket," August 11, 2020
- ↑ Politico, "New York cancels Republican presidential primary," March 3, 2020
- ↑ Charlotte Observer, "Here’s when the 2020 Republican National Convention will be in Charlotte," October 1, 2018
- ↑ NPR, "When Has A President Been Denied His Party's Nomination?" July 22, 2009
- ↑ Top-two primary systems, such as those utilized in California, Nebraska, and Washington, and variations of those systems, such as the top-four system used in Alaska and the majority-vote system used in Louisiana, are sometimes classified as open primary systems because voter participation in such primaries is not tied to partisan affiliation. For the purposes of this article, these primaries are considered to be a separate entity. For more information about top-two primaries and their variations, see this article.
- ↑ FairVote, "Who Can Vote in Congressional Primaries," accessed August 17, 2017
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "State Primary Election Types," July 21, 2016
- ↑ Laws of New York, "5-304 - Enrollment; change of enrollment or new enrollment by previously registered voters," accessed August 24, 2017
- ↑ Laws of New York, "9-200 - Canvass of primary returns by board of elections; notices to delegates; certificates," accessed March 6, 2020
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