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This page shows questions in the Open Primary public release module at MSDE. American Government
"Open Primary"

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Expand All Official Practice Test

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Students are asked by their teacher to research closed and open primaries. Based on their research, they must decide which system is best. The students’ compelling question is this:

Should Maryland become an open primary state?

The students have found the following sources. Use the sources to answer the questions that follow.

Background Information

During a primary election, registered voters select who they believe should be their political party’s candidate in the general election. The state of Maryland currently allows political parties to choose which type of primary system to use. They almost always choose a closed primary so that voters registered with a party can only vote in that party’s primary. Critics argue this limits participation of those who want to vote for someone in the opposing party or independents who have no political party. Some are calling for Maryland state law to adopt an open primary system.

Key Terms:

  • closed primary—requires voters to be registered with a given party to vote in that party's primary election
  • open primary—does not require voters to be registered with a given party to vote in that party's primary election
  • partisan—a strong supporter of a particular political party, cause, or person

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Source A

Gallup, Inc. is an analytics and advisory company based in Washington, D.C. Gallup is best known for conducting opinion polls.

The graph is titled, U S Party Identification, Yearly Averages, nineteen eighty nine through two thousand seventeen. Key, solid line represents Democrats, dashed line represents Republicans, dotted line represents Independents. A solid line begins in year nineteen eighty nine at midway between 30 and 40 percent, goes down to year two thousand three at a little more than 30 percent, and goes down to year two thousand seventeen at a little less than 30 percent. A dashed line that is lower than the solid line begins in year nineteen eighty nine at midway between 30 and 40 percent, goes down to year two thousand three at a little more than 30 percent, and goes down to year two thousand seventeen at a little less than 30 percent. A dotted line begins in year nineteen eighty nine at the same percentage as the dashed line, goes up to year two thousand three at midway between 30 and 40 percent, and goes up to year two thousand seventeen at a little more than 40 percent.

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Source B

OpenPrimaries.org is a group that advocates for nonpartisan open primaries in the United States.

"Closed primaries are the most rampant¹ form of voter suppression of the 21st century. Now, more than ever, we need our democracy to be open and fair—representative of all Americans, not just party extremists. Here are five reasons why we need open primaries  . . . 

  1. "Independents are the largest and fastest-growing voting bloc in the country.
  1. "Due to the effects of partisan gerrymandering, 90 percent of elections are determined in the primary. That means that a huge population of voters have no say in who represents them  . . . 
  1. "Independent voters are paying for elections with their tax dollars  . . . 
  1. "Open primaries require elected officials to reach out beyond their party to all the voters in order to get elected and stay in office.
  1. "Open primaries allow legislators to be more effective representatives by creating a healthier environment to work together, form innovative coalitions, engage a range of policy issues on the merits and govern productively."

—Five Reasons We Need Open Primaries, www.openprimaries.org

¹ rampant — spreading quickly

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Source C

Seth Masket is an author and political scientist at the University of Denver who specializes in political parties, state legislatures, campaigns and elections, and social networks.

"Many reformers look to open primaries as a tool for reducing the partisanship of elected officials, but such reforms have proven pretty ineffective. Changing who may participate in a state's primary elections seems unrelated to the partisanship of the elected officials it produces.

"Why is this? In part, it's because the activists, major donors, officeholders, and other party [leaders] who tend to influence the outcomes of primary elections don't just disappear when those elections are opened up to moderate voters. They remain influential, and they know how to allocate¹ the endorsements,² funding, expertise, and other resources important to winning elections to make sure that the candidates they like—pretty loyal partisans, usually—prevail in the primaries. But another reason is that people with weak party attachments (selfdescribed moderates, independents, and so forth) who do not follow politics closely tend not to participate in primaries even if they’re allowed to. Opening up a primary does little to change what the electorate actually looks like."

—Seth Masket, "How Can We Fix the Broken Primary Election System?" The Pacific Standard, July 7, 2014

¹ allocate — distribute for a particular purpose

² endorsements — an act of giving one's public approval or support to someone or something

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Source D

Third Way is a national think tank that supports American values of opportunity, freedom, and security. Their agenda promotes liberal ideas and new ways of political thinking to solve societal problems.

U.S. Voter Registration Changes, 2008–2013
Democrats Republicans Independents
all states –428,687 –12,714 +2,484,104
Maryland +108,324 +23,133 +157,099
Source: Thirdway.org
 Source: Thirdway.org

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Source E

Adam Brandon is Executive Vice President at FreedomWorks, a conservative advocacy group in Washington, D.C.

"Primaries are an opportunity for a party to nominate the candidate who will best carry forward its set of ideological principles. The general election will then allow voters to decide which party has made a better case. . . . 

"Allowing the opposition party a vote undermines the purpose of primaries, effectively resulting in two general elections  . . .  with no clear distinction between the parties. . . . 

"People who vote in the opposing party’s primary do not do so to support the candidate who best represents their views, but merely to be disruptive. . . . 

"When there is a perception among the public that elections are not honest  . . .  the democratic process suffers. This country depends on an engaged, active electorate making informed choices about the candidates.

"Closed primaries protect the integrity of elections and make voters feel that their representation is in their own hands, not the tool of political manipulation."

—Adam Brandon. "Closed Primaries Prevent Mischief." USA Today, 2014

This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.

What source contains the most recent information?

  1. A.
    Source A
  2. B.
    Source C
  3. C.
    Source D
  4. D.
    Source E

This is a test question that allows you to enter extended text in your response.

Assume that the information provided in the sources is credible. Complete the following extended-response question:

Should Maryland become an open primary state?

  • Develop a claim in response to the question.
  • Cite evidence from the provided sources to support your claim.
  • Use your knowledge of government in your response.