Ask Chicagoist: Primary Party Registration?
By Thales Exoo in Miscellaneous on Mar 20, 2006 4:30PM
I have heard in some states that you aren't allowed to vote in primaries unless you are registered with a particular party. Unfortunately I can't find anything about this for Illinois. Is this true? Or, the alternate to this question - will voting in the primaries register you with a particular party? Any help?
thanks :)
jon
Hey Jon!
We hope that your interest in primary voting procedures means you intend on voting in the election this Tuesday. Sure, some of the races lack the sparkle and pizzazz of other elections, but Chicagoist thinks voting is fun, and we try to do it as often as possible (hey, we're Chicagoist, of course we vote often). And really, who can resist the allure of the new voting machines?
It's true that in some states (examples include Rhode Island, Oklahoma, and Florida) only voters registered for a party can vote in that party's primary. Illinois, however, has an open primary system. What that means is the state doesn't care what political party you affiliate yourself with -- head to your precinct on election day, and you'll be able to grab the ballot for whatever party you choose. As long as a party has even one candidate running for an office, a ballot is produced. With our two-party system this generally means a choice between the Democratic ballot or the Republican ballot, but as long as there is a candidate running in a race, you can vote in that party's primary. You can even vote in the primary for the party you don't normally affiliate yourself with, and some so-called strategic voters do just that, in the hopes a weaker candidate of the opposite party will get the nomination.
To answer your second question, no, voting in a particular primary doesn't automatically register you as a member of that party. If you want to be a registered Democrat or a registered Republican, you have to do that directly with your local party office. Even then, that registration doesn't alter which ballot you can choose when you go vote in the primary.
Has your party been crashed? Need some advice? Email ask(at)chicagoist(dot)com