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Revision as of 16:00, 8 January 2004 by Meelar (talk | contribs) (added note on dc primary)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)A primary election is one in which a political party selects a candidate for a later election by all registered voters in that jurisdiction. Primaries are sometimes open only to registered members of that party, and sometimes open to all voters. In open primaries, voters must typically choose only one primary to participate in that election cycle.
In elections using voting systems where strategic nomination is a concern, primaries can be very important in preventing "clone" candidates that detract from each other's vote because of their similarities.
In the United States, the small state of New Hampshire draws world attention every four years because it has the first presidential primary. (In 2004, the Washington DC primary has the distinction of being the first in the nation. However, it is non-binding and has been ignored by the mainstream media).
Other ways that parties may select their candidates include caucuses and conventions.