If I Voted As A Democrat In The Texas Primary Can I Vote Republican In The Runoff Election
May 18, 2022 / 04:38 PM CDT
May 18, 2022 / 04:38 PM CDT
AUSTIN Monday marked the first day of early voting for the May 24 runoff, where Texas voters will choose respective nominees for their party in several key races, including the Attorney General.
If you voted in the Democratic primary earlier this year, you cant wont get a say in which Republican candidates advance to the November election and vice versa. You have to stick with the partys ballot you elected to fill out in the primary.
If you did not vote in the primary election, you can vote on either the Republican or Democratic ballot, but not both.
Confused About November Heres The Deal
In the general election on Nov. 6, all voters will see the same candidates listed for statewide offices the politicians from all parties who advanced from the primary election, as well as any third party candidates who’ve filed after the primaries. You can vote for whomever youd like, regardless of the party with which you self-identify. You also arent required to vote for the candidates or party you selected back in the March primary
The general election allows voters to choose candidates from multiple parties for different positions. Think the Republican would make a good governor, but prefer the Democratic candidate for attorney general? Go for it. .
Illinois used to have straight-ticket voting, which allowed voters to select a partys entire slate of candidates across all offices with the push of a button. The legislature outlawed that in 1997, but you can still replicate the experience if you want its just more cumbersome.
But to understand how your final ballot came to be, we need to step back and look at the primary process that got us here.
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Republicans Who Backed Jan 6 Investigation Facing Primary Challenges
Five of the 35 House Republicans who voted to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection are facing primary challenges on Tuesday, after a series of bombshell hearings on Donald Trump’s involvement in the effort to overturn his election loss.
So far, 12 of those GOP lawmakers have won or advanced in their primary elections, while two have lost and nine others have retired or resigned, and those results suggest Republicans can survive their vote, reported the Washington Post.
Even for those whove survived their primaries theyve had to sweat in order to do it, said GOP strategist Ken Spain.
The Republicans who’ve won have been able to draw a distinction between the commission they voted to establish — which would have allowed leaders from both parties to appoint members — and the select committee that was eventually formed after House speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected two of House minority leader Kevin McCarthy’s picks and he pulled back the rest of his choices.
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I did not vote for Speaker Pelosis partisan committee that is further politicizing Jan. 6 during an election year, said Rep. Blake D. Moore , who voted for the investigation and is facing a primary challenge from conservative Andrew Badger. The committee has been unfair since its beginning.”
Top Two Open Primary:
Top two open primaries are currently used for statewide elections in Washington, California and for state legislature in Nebraska. In this type of election, there is no Republican primary or Democratic primary. There is one primary, run by the state, with all candidates and all parties listed. Every voter can participate and vote for every candidate, regardless of party. The top-two vote getters move on to the general Election.
States with a top two open primary: California, Washington, *Nebraska
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How Do You Choose
When you show up to your polling location, youll decide whether you want a Democratic or Republican primary ballot.
But after choosing a side in the primary, you have to stay in that lane through the runoff. You cant vote Republican in the primary election and then participate in a runoff election between top Democratic candidates.
That said, voting in a primary does not commit you to vote for a particular candidate in the general election. You can vote for either partys candidate in the November election.
Who Is On The Ballot
Perhaps the most high-profile race this year is for one of Utahs two Senate seats, held by Republican Sen. Mike Lee since 2010.
Lee faces two primary challengers former Republican state lawmaker Becky Edwards and Ally Isom, a longtime communications, public policy and political strategist. Utah has never elected a woman to the U.S. Senate.
The three candidates took the debate stage once, answering questions drafted by the Utah Republican Party. However Lee, like all but one of his Utah colleagues in the House and Senate facing reelection, declined to participate in the debate hosted by the Utah Debate Commission.
The GOP nominee in the Senate race will not face off against a Democrat in the general election. Instead, the Utah Democratic Party threw its support behind independent Evan McMullin, a former CIA agent who received 22% of Utahs vote during the 2016 presidential election.
1st Congressional District
Freshman Rep. Blake Moore has two opponents in Junes election: Tina Cannon, a former Morgan County Council member and Andrew Badger, a former intelligence officer for the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency.
Both Moore and Cannon qualified for the primary through signature gathering, while Badger gained enough support during the Republican Convention to make his way on the ballot.
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Who Gets A Say
Some say the stricter primary systems restrict whose voice can be part of the democratic process and are therefore undemocratic. Parties can block who participates in primaries, or systems force voters to publicly identify with a party.
But Laurel Harbridge-Yong, associate professor of political science at Northwestern University, says the argument for limiting voting to party members makes sense those who align with a party should get to choose the issues and candidates who represent them.
To people who study political parties Its actually quite shocking to think that you would even have something like open primaries, Harbridge-Yong says. Taken in a different context, the question would be, Why should someone whos not a Methodist be able to help pick the priest at a Methodist congregation? Of course, it would be the people that are part of that denomination or that group who are the ones that are selecting their leader.
In June, the BGA Policy team had John Opdycke, president of Open Primaries, as a guest on the BGA podcast . Opdycke advocates for primary reform across the country, and said efforts are underway in 15 or 20 states to attempt to change primary systems.
There’s a lot of momentum, there’s a lot of activity, Opdycke said. And yet this movement is still very underdeveloped, very young and the opposition comes from both political parties.
And in Illinois?
Arguments On The Open And Closed Methods Of Electing Leaders
Political and social analysts have discussed extensively the manner of conducting open and closed primary elections. Some argue in favor of the open primary election. Some also argue in support of the closed primary election. Let us look at their various views to understand what the electoral process stands to benefit from the use of these forms of elections.
Proponents of the closed primary elections are of the view that only members of a political party should be able to vote for the candidate that the political party presents. In this regard, their opponent political party will be unable to influence who the party presents in a general election. They believe that in open primaries, other political parties could play dirty to control the candidate that emerges on the platform of a particular party at the primaries. That way, they can ensure that the candidate representing the other party is the one not likely to draw the popular vote from voters at the general elections.
Thus, the advocates for a closed primary election are of the view that only those of a political party should participate in deciding who represents them as a political party.
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Whos Running In The Primaries
The most high-profile primary contests this year are on the Republican side. Thats because Democrats hold the four main statewide offices and the U.S. Senate seat thats up for reelection this year, and no one made it onto the ballot to challenge those incumbents. On the Republican side, there are hard-fought contests for governor, Senate, Secretary of State and a number of U.S. House seats. There are Democratic primaries in two Congressional districts.
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How does voting work?
Its a primary, so voters head to the polls like they would in a general election. Its semi-open, meaning independents can participate. About 40% of the state are independents, and given that there is no competitive GOP primary happening, one might expect to see a higher percentage of independents turn out on the Democratic side than in 2016.
In 2016, independents made up 40% of the electorate, according to the exit polls, but there were competitive primaries on both sides. In 2008, it was 44%, but in 2004 the last time there was a competitive Democratic primary with an incumbent Republican president up for reelection 48% of the electorate was independents.
Dont confuse independents with moderates, though. Sanders, who won the 2016 primary by more than 20 points, won three-quarters of independents. He won a slightly lower percentage of self-described moderates, 59%.
Former Vice President Joe Biden, takes photos with supporters during a campaign event at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Manchester, N.H., on Monday. Pablo Martinez Monsivais/APhide caption
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Former Vice President Joe Biden, takes photos with supporters during a campaign event at St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Manchester, N.H., on Monday.
Aside from independents, which other voters are important to watch?
Former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg arrives onstage at Hampshire Hills Athletic Club on Monday in Milford, N.H.hide caption
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Why New Hampshires Independents Are So Tough To Pin Down
Every four years, the anticipation grows around how New Hampshires independent voters might vote come primary day. New Hampshire votes the week after the Iowa caucuses, making its primary a critical test for candidates.
Out of the more than 977,000 registered voters in the Granite State, about 413,500 are undeclared to either party, compared to the states 275,252 registered Democrats and 288,524 registered Republicans. Undeclared voters can choose either ballot in a primary and switch their party back to undeclared with their local election officials after theyve voted.
There hasnt been a sudden surge in Republican or Democratic registered voters switching over to undeclared, New Hampshire Deputy Secretary of State David Scanlan told me. But because New Hampshire also allows same-day registration, Scanlan said hes expecting to see thousands of new voters at the polls on Election Day.
Most registrations take place on Election Day, he said. It will be in the tens of thousands. We wont know until Election Day.
The data we have on this group shows undeclared voters are certainly not a monolith, and they dont vote as a bloc. Polling data collected from 1999 to 2014 by Smith and former UNH political science professor and pollster David Moore showed that about 40 percent of undeclared voters consistently voted Republican and 45 percent Democratic. That left just 15 percent who could truly be considered independents, voting for candidates of both parties.
It Robs Us Of Progressive Officeholders And Allows Rats Into The Party
The Democratic Primary is where we fight over the soul of our party. The only way to get congressional representatives who believe in single-payer healthcare, a clean DREAM Act, protections against corporate greed, real education programs, and other progressive policy principles is by first getting them into the general election fight. And the only way to get them into the general election is to vote for them in the Democratic Primary.
I have often heard two opposing statements uttered recently in the county by long-time Democrats- neither of which are true- that challenge the importance of the Democratic primary. One is that the real election takes place in the primary. That may be true in some dark crimson corner of the panhandle. But in Harris County? Expect a general election fight for almost every seat.
Sound far-fetched? Consider this: Oliver has already won a past Democratic Primary on name recognition in 2012, when he was the county partys nominee for DA after beating young, likable, well-funded party favorite Zack Fertitta by a little less than three thousand votes . Democratic precinct chairs were pledged to support Oliver, a man who may as well be Donald Trump at the local level.
Voting in the Democratic Primaries helps keep racists out of the party AND out of office.
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What Other State And National Primaries Are Important To Watch
Certainly, the Republican Senate primary race for who will run against Michael Bennett in the fall. People disagree about how vulnerable Bennett might be. There are two candidates running, one a more extreme conservative and one more moderate . From Bennetts perspective, if the Republicans nominate someone pretty extreme, the conventional wisdom is that it will probably help him as opposed to if they nominate a more moderate candidate. But if 40% of the Colorado electorate is Independent, theres the possibility that their participation could swing the general election.
We also have a new congressional seat north of Denver as a result of redistricting in 2020 that was set up to include a pretty even percentage of Democrats and Republicans with maybe a very small Democratic advantage. So, again, if the Republicans come out of their primaries with an extreme right candidate versus a moderate, that might make a difference in that race.
So If Youre An Independent And You Want To Vote In The Primary You Request To Receive A Democrat Or Republican Ballot When You Register To Vote
Yes, you have to ask for one or the other, otherwise you will receive both party ballots and must only cast one partys ballot. I dont think a large number of people actually do request one or the other but its possible there could be a little bit of gaming that goes on. For example, of the 40% of voters in Colorado registered as Independent, political research suggests that probably 75% of those Independents lean pretty strongly either Republican or Democrat.
You would think that they would sign up for the party they leaned toward. But if youre an Independent but you lean Democrat, you could request a Republican primary ballot and decide youre going to support the very right-wing Republicans because you think they will lose in a general election against the Democrats. Or you could support a moderate Republican because if a Republican is going to win in the general, youd rather have a moderate.
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Mississippi Legislative Committees Created After Abortion Decision
In the 3rd and 4th districts, incumbent Republican congressmen face challengers who forced them into runoffs, and the races are hotly contested for seats expected to remain in GOP control. In the 2nd District, a crowded field of Republican primary candidates brought a runoff, although the seat is not expected to flip from Democratic in November.
In the 3rd central Mississippi district, Rep. Michael Guest faces challenger Navy veteran Michael Cassidy. Any voter registered before the June 7 primary deadline can vote in this runoff Tuesday, since there was no Democratic primary then.
In the 2nd District, Republicans Ronald Eller and Brian Flowers face off, with the winner challenging longtime incumbent Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson in November.
The general election for Mississippis midterm congressional races will be Nov. 8.
Cancellation Of State Caucuses Or Primaries
The Washington Examiner reported on December 19, 2018, that the South Carolina Republican Party had not ruled out forgoing a primary contest to protect Trump from any primary challengers. Party chairman Drew McKissick stated, “Considering the fact that the entire party supports the president, we’ll end up doing what’s in the president’s best interest.” On January 24, another Washington Examiner report indicated that the Kansas Republican Party was “likely” to scrap its presidential caucus to “save resources”.
In August 2019, the Associated Press reported that the Nevada Republican Party was also contemplating canceling their caucuses, with the state party spokesman, Keith Schipper, saying it “isn’t about any kind of conspiracy theory about protecting the president … He’s going to be the nominee … This is about protecting resources to make sure that the president wins in Nevada and that Republicans up and down the ballot win in 2020.”
Kansas, Nevada and South Carolina’s state committees officially voted on September 7, 2019, to cancel their caucus and primary. The Arizona state Republican Party indicated two days later that it will not hold a primary. These four were joined by the Alaska state Republican party on September 21, when its central committee announced they would not hold a presidential primary.
Virginia Republicans decided to allocate delegates at the state convention.
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