H737 - Open Primary Act Summary

• Establishes "voter-nominated primary elections" for specified statewide and federal offices where candidates compete regardless of political party affiliation, with the two highest vote-getters advancing to the general election.

• Designates 19 offices as voter-nominated, including Governor, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, State Legislature, Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Superior Court, District Court, and other statewide executive positions.

• Allows any qualified voter to vote for any candidate in voter-nominated primaries without regard to the voter's or candidate's party affiliation, eliminating party registration requirements for these races.

• Removes the requirement for a runoff "second primary" and instead uses a single primary where the top two vote-getters advance to the general election for voter-nominated offices.

• Makes conforming changes to vacancy-filling procedures, voter registration requirements, absentee voting rules, and campaign finance reporting to align with the new primary system.