Elections & terms
top-two primary
A single primary open to all candidates and all voters, where the two highest finishers advance to the general election regardless of party.
In full
Used in California and Washington, with variants elsewhere, including Alaska's top-four primary paired with ranked-choice voting. Supporters argue it rewards broad appeal and reduces safe-seat extremism; critics note it can produce two candidates of the same party in the general election and can shut out a party entirely if its vote splits.
Also written as: jungle primary, top-four primary
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A plain-language explanation for civic education, not legal advice. When in doubt, the official source named above controls.