Primary election, in the United States, election to select candidates to run for public office. Primaries may be closed, allowing only declared party members to vote, or open, enabling all voters to choose which party’s primary they wish to vote in. Primaries may also be either direct or indirect.
Primary election ... Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate.