direct primary

noun

: a primary in which nominations of candidates for office are made by direct vote

Examples of direct primary in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Require that the direct primary election for any partisan office allow each political party that has qualified for representation on the ballot to nominate the same number of candidates for the office as the number of positions to be filled for that office in the next general election. Arizona Republic, The Arizona Republic, 10 Sep. 2024 Provide that the state direct primary election law supersedes any city charter, law, ordinance, rule, resolution or policy that is inconsistent with or contrary to the state direct primary election law. Arizona Republic, The Arizona Republic, 10 Sep. 2024 Once the direct primary was adopted for Presidential nominations in the 1970s, the party structure that would typically make decisions about who leads the ticket was disempowered and has shriveled in the interest of more democracy. Lawrence R. Jacobs / Made By History, TIME, 22 July 2024 Hartford historically has conducted direct primary challenges and does not caucus. Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 8 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for direct primary 

Word History

First Known Use

1900, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of direct primary was in 1900

Dictionary Entries Near direct primary

Cite this Entry

“Direct primary.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/direct%20primary. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.

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