Meaning & use
closed primary
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableAmerican
An election in which only voters registered with a party may help choose that party's candidate.
Grammar: Countable: say a closed primary or closed primaries.
Patterns
- hold a closed primary
- vote in a closed primary
In a closed primary, only registered Democrats can vote in the Democratic contest.
Several states use a closed primary to keep outsiders from choosing a party's nominee.
She could not vote because the state runs a closed primary and she was registered as an independent.
Word forms
| plural | closed primaries |
|---|
Common combinations
- hold a closed primary
- The party decided to hold a closed primary in June.
- vote in a closed primary
- You must be registered with a party to vote in a closed primary.
- a closed primary state
- He moved from a closed primary state to one with open rules.
- the closed primary system
- Critics say the closed primary system shuts out independent voters.
Synonyms and how they differ
- partisan primary
- A broader term for a party-based primary; it can be closed or open, so it is less exact.
Opposites
Commonly confused: closed primary or open primary?
closed primary vs open primary
In an open primary, voters of any party may take part; in a closed primary, only registered party members may.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'closed primary' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A closed primary is open only to voters registered with the party. Option 0 describes an open primary, and option 2 describes a caucus or closed meeting, not a primary.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “closed primary”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.