It depends on the state. In some states you can as in North Carolina. In others you can only vote in the primary for your party candidates. You cannot switch parties or vote outside of it. In others, you can register for any party at the caucus/primary and vote in that party even if the day before you were registered to another party.


>Its funny. I was wondering yesterday if tactical voting occurred in the US and the voting mechanism in primaries (can anyone vote for the republican candidate and vice versa) and here's a conversation about just that.
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>Many in North Carolina (we have an open primary so anyone can vote for anyone in any party) are considering voting across party lines in the Primary and then for their candidate of choice in the election. They want the opponent most likely to lose against their own to win the primary for the other party so they are considering voting for that person in the primary. I'm hearing it from both Dems and Repubs. Wonder if that is happening in other states?
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>>>I think there is definitely crossover aimed at damaging the opposing party's chances, but of course that means trying to correctly assess just how to do that. This year has been very tricky. Karl Rove wanted Hillary from day 1 - thought she'd be the easiest to beat because of high negatives and the ick factor. She would also raise more money for the GOP than just about anybody. Obama will be harder to beat, IMO, and it will have to be done by McCain taking a firm stand in the center and making Obama the candidate of the far left.
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>>>>>Primary voters do not have to be paying members of a party, only to declare what party's primary they want to vote in. this does not obligate them to vote that way in the general election.
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>>>>Is it safe to assume that there were rep sympathizers voting for McGovern but not for Jesse Jackson to get somebody easy to win over ? Or will they try to make the "Other" candidates the one least revolting ? If so, anybody speculating on such behaviour and the numbers involved ?
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>>>>I like number games...
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>>>>thomas