What's the difference between a primary election and a general election?

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Early voting for the March 3 primary elections begins Tuesday.

Winners of the Democratic and Republican primaries will move on to November's general election.

While the primary election and the general election both involve voters choosing their preferred candidate, there are some differences.

What is a primary?

The primary election will be held on March 3. Primaries are elections that political parties use to determine which candidates will represent that party. The winning candidate will then face off against the winning candidate from the other party in the November general election.

A candidate must have more than half of the votes to be declared the winner. If no candidates get a majority of the votes in a race, then the top two vote-getters will face each other in a run-off election on May 26.

Voters are not required to register with a party to vote in a primary election, but can only vote in one party's primary election. Voters will only be able to vote in that party's subsequent run-off election.

What is a general election?

In general elections, you vote for the federal, state and local officials that will represent you for the next term of that office.

The winners of each primary go to the general election and face off. Candidates from other parties that decide nominations differently are also on the ballot.

General elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. The 2026 general election will be held on Nov. 3.