Who is an “eligible voter” in the Republican primary? Is MS a closed primary state? If so, then how could there be an “eligible voter” voting in the R primary runoff who is not a registered R?
What law is the SOS citing?
MS is an open primary state. That means any voter (D or R) can vote in either the D or R primary.
For the runoff:
- If you voted in the D primary, you can only vote in the D runoff — if there is one (not in this case).
- If you voted in the R primary, you can only vote in the R runoff.
- If you did not vote at all in either primary, you are allowed to vote in the runoff, regardless of your party registration.
Although I don’t necessarily agree with these rules, they are quite clear to me. I don’t understand why all the confusion.
Stated another way, anyone who voted in the Democrat primary on June 3, is ineligible to vote in the GOP runoff next week.
The only people who can vote in next week’s GOP runoff are:
1) Those who voted in the June 3 GOP primary.
2) Any registered voter who did not vote at all in either the Dem or GOP primary on June 3.