The 2024 Spring Election is on April 2nd. Why is it also called the Presidential Preference Primary?

Besides the local races on our ballot,

• Voters choose one candidate from their preferred political party's list of presidential candidates.
• The candidate from each party with the most votes wins the primary election.
• The results inform the party when they select their presidential nominee. This happens at their national convention.
• Voters choose between each party's nominee in the Presidential Election in November.

What are my options as a voter?

As a voter, you have options. You can vote in whichever party's primary you choose and have the option to vote uninstructed under either party to let the parties know that the choices you have been provided do not align with your personal values or that the parties have not yet built a strong enough case for why their selected candidates should get your vote.

Learn more about what it means to vote "Uninstructed"

What happens once I cast my ballot in the presidential primary? 

Presidential primaries can be a bit trickier to follow than other elections, but let’s take a look to understand the basics. 

States have their primaries on different days. So as more states vote, it becomes clearer who is likely to secure the nomination for each party. Candidates who are trailing behind may stop campaigning or even withdraw from the race if things really aren’t looking good for them. 

After the primaries, the Democrats, Republicans and other parties involved have something called a national convention. This is where the party will make an official nomination for their presidential candidate. Results from the primaries inform the party when they select their nomination.

Party officials take primary results seriously, so your vote really does matter! Be sure to get out and vote