Everything You Need to Know About Primary Elections in 5 GIFs
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Step one: get the scoop on the remaining presidential candidates and their views. Step two: get pumped about the election, because primary votingis underway and things are about to get more exciting than the dancing dad at the Super Bowl. Step three: register to vote or find out whether you qualify for early in-person/mail voting. Step four: read this handy guide about what else you need to know about primaries. Step five? Don't worry, that's all we got for now.
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A primary election is different than a caucus.
What's the deal? A caucus requires people to publicly show who they support and is run by the political parties. A primary is straight-up anonymous ballot voting that's similar to a general election, except it's run by the state.
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Different states have different types of primaries.
Most states roll with one of two primaries: an open primary or a closed one. Open means you can vote for any candidate, regardless of which party you're affiliated with (i.e. you can vote for a Democrat even if you're registered as a Republican). But a closed primary means you gotta stick with a candidate from your party. Learn more about where your state falls here.
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You might need an ID to vote.
Some states have changed up their voter ID laws in recent years. Check whether you need an ID to participate or not thanks to this handy interactive.
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You're voting for delegates.
Yes, you're voting for a candidate. But those votes decide the number of delegates that each candidate gets at the party's national nominating convention. Some state primaries allocate delegates on a proportional basis. Others have a winner-take-all system. Which state gets what? Those with primaries between March 1 and March 14 award delegates on a proportional basis; those with primaries on March 15 or later use the winner-take-all formula.
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Voting season is about to go full throttle.
The next big voting event comes with Nevada caucus on Feb. 20 and the South Carolina primary on Feb. 27. Don't forget about Super Tuesday — March 1 — when a bunch of states hold their primaries on the same day. All other states will hold their voting between March and June — find out when yours is happening here.