Shawn Griffiths
PHOENIX, Ariz. — Arizona calls its primary system "open," because state law allows independent voters to participate. But here's the thing: They only get to vote in these taxpayer-funded elections as long as the political parties allow it.
Here's how it works.
Arizona’s Citizens Clean Elections Commission says the state has an “open primary provision,” meaning voters who are not registered with a recognized political party may participate without changing their registration.
Members of a recognized political party have to vote in that party's primary. This doesn't just apply to Republicans and Democrats, but Greens, Libertarians, and voters registered with the No Labels Party.
To vote in these taxpayer-funded contests, independent voters first have to request a party’s ballot. They may only choose one, and they are limited to the candidates on that party's ballot.
Imagine for a second that an independent voter in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District believes David Schweikert would be the strongest Republican candidate for governor but prefers Amish Shah in the Democratic primary for Congress.
That voter cannot support both.
If a voter wants to vote Schweikert in the Republican gubernatorial primary, they must select a Republican ballot. But then they can only choose from Republican candidates in every other election.
Their ballot would limit their congressional choices to Republicans like Jay Feely, Joseph Chaplik, and John Trobough.
If they want to vote for Shah (or another Democrat) in the congressional race, the same voter has to select the Democratic ballot—and give up any say in the closely watched Republican contest for governor.
And still, Arizona calls this an "open" system.
Additionally, independent voters must jump through extra hurdles to get a primary ballot compared to registered party members.
For example, a registered Democrat enrolled in the Active Early Voting List automatically receives a Democratic ballot. The same applies to registered Republicans.
However, an independent on this list still has to request a party ballot or select one at an in-person voting location. In Maricopa County, the available choices include Democratic, Republican, No Labels or an eligible local nonpartisan ballot.
In the current election cycle, an independent voter had to contact their county recorder and identify a preferred ballot before the July 10 mail-ballot request deadline. If they missed the deadline, they have to vote in person.
Sherry Harrison
One-Third of Arizona Voters Do Not Belong to a Party
The restrictions and limitation put on independent voters affects a sizable portion of the electorate.
Arizona has more than 4.3 million registered voters heading into the July 21 primary. Republicans make up 35.39% of the electorate, while Democrats account for 28.11%.
Independent voters are not far behind Republicans. Nearly 1.5 million voters in Arizona —34.6% of the electorate—are categorized by the secretary of state as “Other,” which is primarily used for voters who do not affiliate with any party.
These voters are essential to winning statewide elections in November, especially in 2026. Arizona is ground zero to one of the most competitive and hotly contested gubernatorial races in the US.
But the system does not ask independent voters which candidates they prefer. It tells them to first pick a side, and then they can choose from the candidates a single party gives them.
That is not the same thing.
An Open Primary? It Is Until the Parties Say It Isn't
The terminology used by the state is misleading.
In a fully open partisan primary, voters may choose which party primary to participate in regardless of their registration. In fact, in fully open partisan primary states voters often do not register with a party.
This is not the case in Arizona.
Under nonpartisan open primaries, all voters and candidates participate on a single ballot—regardless of party. This moves away from a partisan-nominated process and becomes a voter-nominated process.
This election model, used in Alaska, California, and Washington, is the most open, inclusive, and inviting primary system in the US. It is also not the type of primary system Arizona uses.
Arizona's system is only open in the sense that independent voters can choose a party ballot, a choice that can be taken away from them by party leaders in any election cycle.
Case in point, the Libertarian Party's primary is closed.
In Arizona Libertarian Party v. Hobbs, the Ninth Circuit explained that, under Arizona law, established parties decide whether unaffiliated voters may participate in their primaries.
Private political organizations decide where the right to vote begins and ends for independents in publicly funded elections.
This is why the state's terminology is misleading, because it is not an open system. Not really. Independent voters are not guaranteed a vote in the primary. State law does not guarantee the right to full and meaningful participation in elections.
What Arizona actually has is a semi-closed system that was adopted by voters in 1998 under Proposition 103, a constitutional amendment intended to allow voters without a party affiliation to participate in partisan primaries.
Voters may not have understood then how much power the parties would still have over elections, who gets to vote, and what candidates they can pick.
They also may not have known how confusing the process would become. If an independent voter is unintentionally registered with a party and they don't know it—say, for example, the No Labels Party, they can't request another party's ballot.
They can either vote in that party's primary or not vote at all.
Further, independent voters are still required to join a party to participate in presidential preference elections (what the state calls its presidential primaries). So, the rules for independents change each election cycle.
Arizona Rejected a Single-Ballot Primary in 2024
Voters had an opportunity to adopt a nonpartisan primary two years ago.
Proposition 140 would have eliminated separate partisan primaries for most offices and placed candidates together on one primary ballot. Every voter would have the opportunity to select any candidate they wanted in each election.
However, the measure didn't specify what type of nonpartisan primary model would be used. It did not explicitly state that Arizona would adopt a Top Two model like California or a Top Four model like in Alaska.
Instead, it left that up to the Arizona Legislature—creating ambiguity that allowed opponents to confuse the matter. Many of them even called Prop 140 a ranked choice voting measure, when it wasn't.
The proposal ultimately failed in November 2024, leaving Arizona’s party-based primary system in place.
Shawn Griffiths
However, this does not mean Arizona voters do not want reform. A separate measure appeared on the same ballot, Proposition 133, that would have amended the constitution in 3 ways:
- It required partisan primaries across the state for partisan offices.
- It banned the use of all-candidate and all-voter nonpartisan primaries.
- It ensured the state's direct primary law superseded local charters, meaning cities and counties could not adopt their own primary systems.
Approximately 58% of voters rejected this proposition. It's a signal that voters are open to a more inclusive and less complex primary process that gives them more choice. But they may want to know what exactly it is they are voting for next time.
Access Is Not the Same as Choice
Arizona independents are not outright prohibited from Tuesday’s primary.
They can request a party ballot. They can vote in person. They can participate without formally changing their registration.
But participation comes with several asterisks:
- Independent voters must choose a party ballot before they can choose candidates—and they can only select one.
- They must know that they always have to request a party ballot—even if they are on the active list to vote by mail.
- The candidates they prefer across different races may not all appear on the same party’s ballot.
- Not all primaries are open to them, and it is always possible a party could close their primaries in any given election cycle.
- They have to double check their registration to make sure they are not registered with a party by accident.
- Their ability to participate in primaries can be taken away from them—because it is not a right guaranteed by Arizona law.
Arizona gives independent voters more access than a fully closed partisan-primary system. But it does not provide the same choice or freedoms available in a fully open, nonpartisan, voter-nominated process.
It remains a system that conditions access on choosing a political party, limits candidate choice, and creates steps that can be unnecessarily cumbersome or confusing.
The door may be open to independent voters, but only after they choose which party controls what they see on the other side.