Voting in the Democratic Primary – Here’s What You Need to Know

No matter which of the Democratic candidates you support, if you want to vote for them in the Democratic Primary, here’s what you need to know.

First and foremost, check that your name and current address is correctly entered on your state electoral roll. Millions of names are being purged from state electoral rolls, particularly in red states. You do not want to find out that you are among those erased when it’s too late to re-enroll for the primary or, worse, the general election in November 2016.

This message needs to be broadcast nationwide. If you have any ideas how that can be accomplished, please share them. If you have links to any Democratic campaign, PAC or group, please use your association to persuade them that this message must be publicized as a matter of urgency. Not only will they be performing a public service but in doing so they will also be educating the American public as to the underhanded tactics of the Republican Party without directly accusing them.  

I would also recommend setting up a system or site where those whose names have been purged, can report it. This will provide Democrats with solid evidence of widespread purging, show which states are the worst and which groups are being targeted most. It may also be able to provide free legal advice to those who have been wrongly accused of voter fraud by Republican groups like the grossly misnamed Ohio Voter Integrity Project and True the Vote.

In order to vote in the Democratic Primary, it is important to note that states vary in their requirements.  In general there are three categories: open, closed and semi-closed.  The other mentioned on this map refers to top-two and the Louisiana system. While these are used in Congressinal primaries, neither are used in presidential primaries.

Click anywhere on the map for an expanded image.

In many, though not all, open primary states voters do not indicate partisan affiliation when they register to vote. In this category, voters of any affiliation may vote in the primaries of any party they choose. Although they are restricted to voting in only one party's primary, that prohibition can be difficult to enforce in the event a party has a primary runoff election. Remember at all times that republicans are out to exclude Democratic voters on any grounds whatsoever so,to be on the safe side, stay within the law and vote in one primary only!

In a closed primary, only voters registered with a given party can vote in that party's primary. States with closed primaries include party affiliation in voter. In some states, parties may have the option to invite unaffiliated voters to participate in the closed primary. Generally, unaffiliated voters will not be permitted to participate in the closed primary unless they choose to give up their independent status.

In a semi-closed primary, unaffiliated voters may choose which party primary to vote in, while voters registered with a party may only vote in that party's primary. People who align with a given party may theoretically still vote in another party's primary if they are registered as independent, undeclared or unaffiliated.

Those in the other category – California, Louisiana and Washington – employ either a top-two system or a Cajun Primary as the Louisiana system is nicknamed, for Congressional and state primaries. However, these systems do not apply to presidential primaries.

   

Summary

   
In order to vote in your Democratic Primary, you must be registered as a Democrat (closed primary states) or as a Democratic / Undeclared / Unaffiliated / Independent (semi-closed primary states). For more specific information, click on BallotPedia, go to the list of states in the box on the right, and click on your state.

   

Important Dates and Information for Presidential Primaries

   

State	Registration Deadline	Format	Register As	Primary Date
Alabama	Feb 16, 2016	Open	voter	March 1
Alaska		Closed Caucus	Democrat	March 26
Arizona		Closed	Democrat	March 22
Arkansas	Feb 1, 2016	open	voter	March 1
California	May 23, 2016	Semi-Closed	Dem/Undeclared	June 7
Colorado	Feb 2, 2016	Closed Caucus	Democrat	March 1
Connecticut	Apr 21, 2016	Closed	Democrat	April 26
Delaware	Apr 2, 2016	Closed	Democrat	April 26
Florida	Feb 16, 2016	Closed	Democrat	March 15
Georgia	Feb 1, 2016	Open	voter	March 1
Hawaii		Closed Caucus	declare at ballot	March 26
Idaho	Feb 12, 2016	Semi-Closed	Dem/Undeclared	March 8
Illinois	Mar 8, 2016	Semi-Closed	declare at ballot	March 15
Indiana	Apr 4, 2016	Open	voter	May 3
Iowa		Semi-Closed	declare at ballot	Feb 1
Kansas		Closed Caucus	Democrat	March 5
Kentucky	Apr 18, 2016	Closed	Democrat	May 17
Louisiana	Feb 3, 2016	Closed	Democrat	March 5
Maine		Closed Caucus	Democrat	March 6
Maryland	Apr 5, 2016	Closed	Democrat	April 26
Massachusetts	Feb 10, 2016	Semi-Closed	Dem/Undeclared	March 1
Michigan	Feb 9, 2016	Open	voter	March 8
Minnesota		Open	voter	March 1
Mississippi	Feb 6, 2016	Open	voter	March 8
Missouri	Feb 17, 2016	Open	voter	March 15
Montana	May 9, 2016	Open	voter	June 7
Nebraska	Apr 22, 2016	Closed Caucus	Democrat	May 10
Nevada		Closed Caucus	Democrat	Feb 20
New Hampshire	Jan 31, 2016	Semi-Closed	Dem/Undeclared	Feb 9
New Jersey	May 17, 2016	Closed	Democrat	June 7
New Mexico	May 10, 2016	Closed	Democrat	June 7
New York	Oct 9, 2015	Closed	Democrat	April 19
North Carolina	Feb 4, 2016	Semi-Closed	Dem/Undeclared	March 1
North Dakota	none required	Open	Democrat	June 14
Ohio	Feb 16, 2016	Semi-Closed	declare at ballot	March 15
Oklahoma	Feb 5, 2016	Semi-Closed	Dem/Undeclared	March 1
Oregan	Apr 26, 2016	Closed	Democrat	May 17
Pennsylvania	Mar 28, 2016	Closed	Democrat	April 26
Rhode Island	Mar 28, 2016	Semi-Closed	Dem/Undeclared	April 26
South Carolina	Jan 27, 2016	Open	voter	Feb 27
South Dakota	May 23, 2016	Semi-Closed	Dem/Undeclared	June 7
Tennessee	Feb 1, 2016	Open	voter	March 1
Texas	Feb 8, 2016	Open	voter	March 1
Utah	Mar 15, 2016	Semi-Closed	Dem/Undeclared	March 22
Vermont	Feb 24, 2016	Open	voter	March 1
Virginia	Feb 8, 2016	Open	voter	March 1
Washington	May 16, 2016	Open Caucus	voter	May 24
West Virginia	Apr 19, 2016	Semi-Closed	Dem/Undeclared	May 10
Wisconsin	Apr 1, 2016	Open	voter	April 5
Wyoming		Closed Caucus	Democrat	April 9

Please mention corrections and additional information in comments and I will amend the diary accordingly.

For my 100th diary, I wanted to choose something informative and useful. I hope you find this serves the purpose. (◕‿◕)

References:

BallotPedia
Fair Vote.org
U.S. Vote Foundation
Primary Elections in California