1. The U.S. is one of the few countries to select candidates through popular vote in a primary election system.
Most countries rely on party leaders or registered party members to select candidates.
2. Iowa and New Hampshire get lots of attention for their presidential primaries.
A criticism of the current presidential primary election schedule is that it gives undue weight to the few states with early primaries,
3. In Tennessee primaries are open.
A voter must either be registered with a political party or must declare his affiliation with the party at the polls on primary election day in order to vote in that party’s primary. Some states have closed primaries, meaning voters must be registered members of a party prior to election day.
4. You won’t be voting for a presidential candidate.
We did that on Super Tuesday in the spring. These candidates are vying for congressional seats and state- and local-level offices.
5. If you’re not a registered voter, too bad for the primary.
But there’s plenty of time to register for the general election in November. An online application for a new voter registration must be submitted at least 30 days before the next election. You can find more info here.