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State comparison

How do state election rules differ?

Who runs elections in each state, what kind of primaries it holds, when governors are elected and whether citizens can start initiatives.

Facts checked November 5, 2026. Counts cover the 50 states and include only what we could verify. Labels are simplified, so read the state’s own page and source before relying on a cell.

Primary type

  • 16 open
  • 11 partially closed
  • 8 partially open
  • 7 closed
  • 2 top-two
  • 2 mixed: open to unaffiliated voters
  • 1 top-four
  • 1 mixed: closed party primaries for U.S. Senate, Supreme Court, Public Service Commission and state school board; open primaries for most other offices
  • 1 mixed: nonpartisan for the Legislature, open for other offices
  • 1 mixed: open to unaffiliated voters (a party may let undeclared voters take its ballot)

Citizen initiatives

  • 23 no
  • 18 yes
  • 3 referendum only
  • 1 yes, laws only (indirect initiative; no constitutional initiative)
  • 1 constitutional amendments only (no statutory initiative)
  • 1 statutory initiative and referendum, no constitutional initiative
  • 1 constitutional initiative only (no statutory initiative)
  • 1 yes, for statutes only

State election rules
StateChief election officialWho runs elections locallyPrimary typeGovernor electionsCitizen initiatives
AlaskaLieutenant Governor sourceElection supervisor sourcetop-four sourceeven sourceyes, laws only (indirect initiative; no constitutional initiative) source
AlabamaSecretary of State sourceProbate judges, circuit clerks, boards of registrars and sheriffs share the work sourceopen sourceeven sourceno source
ArkansasSecretary of State sourceCounty clerks and county boards of election commissioners share the work sourceopen sourceeven sourceyes source
ArizonaSecretary of State sourceCounty recorders and elections directors share the work sourcepartially open sourceeven sourceyes source
CaliforniaSecretary of State sourceCounty clerks in most counties and registrars of voters in 14 counties sourcetop-two sourceeven sourceyes source
ColoradoSecretary of State sourceCounty clerk and recorder sourcepartially open sourceeven sourceyes source
ConnecticutSecretary of State sourceTown clerks and registrars of voters share the work sourcepartially closed sourceeven sourceno source
District of ColumbiaExecutive Director (District of Columbia Board of Elections) sourceThe DC Board of Elections runs elections directly; there is no separate county layer sourceclosed sourceeven sourceyes, laws only source
DelawareState Election Commissioner sourceCounty directors sourceclosed sourceeven sourceno source
FloridaSecretary of State sourceCounty supervisors of elections sourceclosed sourceeven sourceconstitutional amendments only (no statutory initiative) source
GeorgiaSecretary of State sourceCounty board of registrar’s office sourceopen sourceeven sourceno source
HawaiiChief Election Officer sourceCounty elections divisions sourceopen sourceeven sourceno source
IowaSecretary of State (state commissioner of elections) sourceCounty auditors (county commissioners of elections) sourcepartially open sourceeven sourceno source
IdahoSecretary of State sourceCounty clerks sourcepartially closed sourceeven sourcestatutory initiative and referendum, no constitutional initiative source
IllinoisState Board of Elections sourceElection authorities (county clerks, plus county and municipal election commissions) sourcepartially open sourceeven sourceconstitutional initiative only (no statutory initiative) source
IndianaSecretary of State sourceThe elected clerk of the circuit court in most counties; some counties use a board of registration or a board of elections and registration sourcepartially open sourceeven sourceno source
KansasSecretary of State (Elections Division) sourceCounty election officers (county clerks in 101 counties) sourcepartially closed sourceeven sourceno source
KentuckySecretary of State sourceCounty boards of elections, chaired by the county clerk, under the direction of the State Board of Elections sourceclosed sourceodd sourceno source
LouisianaSecretary of State sourceParish registrars of voters (appointed by each parish governing authority) handle voter registration sourcemixed: closed party primaries for U.S. Senate, Supreme Court, Public Service Commission and state school board; open primaries for most other offices sourceodd sourceno source
MassachusettsSecretary of the Commonwealth sourceCity and town clerks sourcepartially closed sourceeven sourceyes source
MarylandState Administrator of Elections (chosen by the State Board of Elections) sourceCounty boards of elections sourcepartially closed sourceeven sourcereferendum only source
MaineSecretary of State sourceMunicipal clerks sourcepartially closed sourceeven sourceyes source
MichiganSecretary of State sourceLocal election officials, supervised by the Secretary of State sourceopen sourceeven sourceyes source
MinnesotaSecretary of State sourceCounty auditors and municipal clerks sourceopen sourceeven sourceno source
MissouriSecretary of State sourceLocal election authorities: an elected county clerk or a bipartisan board of election commissioners sourceopen sourceeven sourceyes source
MississippiSecretary of State sourceCounty election commissions and municipal election commissions, with circuit clerks as county registrars sourceopen sourceodd sourceno source
MontanaSecretary of State sourceLocal election administrators sourceopen sourceeven sourceyes source
North CarolinaState Board of Elections sourceCounty boards of elections sourcemixed: open to unaffiliated voters sourceeven sourceno source
North DakotaSecretary of State sourceCounty auditors sourceopen sourceeven sourceyes source
NebraskaSecretary of State sourceCounty clerks, and election commissioners in the most populous counties sourcemixed: nonpartisan for the Legislature, open for other offices sourceeven sourceyes source
New HampshireSecretary of State sourceNot verifiedmixed: open to unaffiliated voters (a party may let undeclared voters take its ballot) sourceeven sourceno source
New JerseySecretary of State sourceCounty commissioner of registration or superintendent of elections sourceclosed sourceodd sourceno source
New MexicoSecretary of State sourceCounty clerks sourcemixed: open to unaffiliated voters sourceeven sourcereferendum only source
NevadaSecretary of State sourceCounty clerk, or the registrar of voters in counties that have that office sourcepartially open sourceeven sourceyes source
New YorkState Board of Elections sourceCounty boards of elections (bipartisan) sourceclosed sourceeven sourceno source
OhioSecretary of State sourceCounty boards of elections sourcepartially open sourceeven sourceyes source
OklahomaState Election Board sourcecounty election boards sourcepartially closed sourceeven sourceyes source
OregonSecretary of State sourcecounty clerks sourcepartially closed sourceeven sourceyes source
PennsylvaniaDepartment of State sourcecounty election offices sourceclosed sourceeven sourceno source
Rhode IslandState Board of Elections sourcelocal boards of canvassers sourcepartially open sourceeven sourceno source
South CarolinaState Election Commission sourcecounty boards of voter registration and elections sourceopen sourceeven sourceno source
South DakotaSecretary of State sourcecounty auditors sourcepartially closed sourceeven sourceyes source
TennesseeState Coordinator of Elections sourceCounty election commissions sourceopen sourceeven sourceno source
TexasSecretary of State sourcecounty election and voter registration officials sourceopen sourceeven sourceno source
UtahLieutenant Governor sourceCounty clerks (for county elections), with municipal and other election officers for their own elections sourcepartially closed sourceeven sourceyes, for statutes only source
VirginiaCommissioner of Elections (heads the Department of Elections) sourceA three-member electoral board in each county and city, which appoints the general registrar sourceopen sourceodd sourceno source
VermontSecretary of State sourceTown clerks and Boards of Civil Authority sourceopen sourceeven sourceNot verified
WashingtonSecretary of State sourceCounty elections offices sourcetop-two sourceeven sourceyes source
WisconsinWisconsin Elections Commission sourceMunicipal clerks (city, village and town clerks) sourceopen sourceeven sourcereferendum only source
West VirginiaSecretary of State sourceCounty clerks sourcepartially closed sourceeven sourceno source
WyomingSecretary of State sourceCounty clerks sourceclosed sourceeven sourceyes source