The 2018 Mid-Term Elections Primaries are Underway

The primaries for the 2018 Mid-Term Elections are here. Get the schedule and find out which types of voters may cast primary ballots.

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According to AARP, all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and 35 seats in the U.S. Senate are up for election. In addition, 36 states will choose new governors in the 2018 Mid-Term Elections cycle.

Ballots will also be cast for state senators and representatives, as well as county officers, across the country. Representation at the state level will decide how congressional redistricting lines are redrawn with the U.S. Census in 2020.

Who Can Vote in the Mid-Term Election Primaries?

The ability to vote in the primaries varies by state.

For closed primaries, only registered party members can vote in their party’s primary.

In partially closed primaries, parties decide whether registered independents can cast votes.

In open primaries, registered voters can cast ballots in any party’s primary.

In partially open primaries, voters must register with a party before voting in its primary.

Then, there are the outliers. In California, Washington and Louisiana, the top two finishers — regardless of party – move on to the general election. Some states hold runoff elections when the top candidate does not reach a certain percentage of the vote.

Primaries for 2018 Mid-Term Elections

March 6: Texas

March 20: Illinois

May 8: Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, West Virginia

May 15: Oregon, Pennsylvania, Idaho, Nebraska

May 22: Kentucky, Georgia, Arkansas

June 5: Alabama, California, Iowa, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota

June 12: Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina, Virginia

June 19: District of Columbia

June 26: Colorado, Maryland, Oklahoma, Utah

August 2: Tennessee

August 7: Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Washington

August 11: Hawaii

August 14: Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont, Wisconsin

August 21: Alaska, Wyoming

August 28: Arizona, Florida

September 4: Massachusetts

September 6: Delaware

September 11: New Hampshire, New York

September 12: Rhode Island

*Election Day, November 6: Louisiana

*If no candidate gets a majority vote, there’s a runoff election on December 8th.

Search election office websites for specific information on USA.gov.

Get a handy list of voter registration deadlines for primaries and general elections for all states on VoterParticipation.org.

Access the original story on the AARP website.

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