New Poll Shows Broad Support for Keeping Texas Primary Elections Open to All Voters

For Immediate Release

Dec. 3, 2025

Media Contacts:

Jennifer Harris, jharris@jwhcommunications.com, 512-773-7168 or

Ross Sherman, Unite America Press Director, ross@uniteamerica.org, 207-749-2660

AUSTIN, Texas – A strong majority of Texas voters, including Republican primary voters, believe the state’s party primary elections should be kept open, according to a new statewide poll commissioned by Unite America. 

The poll, conducted by Chris Perkins of Ragnar Research Partners, found strong support among likely primary voters—including likely GOP primary voters—for maintaining current state law that allows any voter to choose whether they want to participate in the Republican or Democratic primary election. 

“Texans’ attitudes on primary elections is clear: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” said Unite America Executive Director Nick Troiano. “Texas voters overwhelmingly want to maintain the freedom to vote for whoever they want in every election — and strongly oppose having to publicly declare their party affiliation to do so. Closing the primaries would violate voters’ privacy and lock millions of independent voters out of these taxpayer-funded elections in the process.”

A strong majority (54%) of Texas likely primary voters oppose closing party primary elections. Key findings include: 

Voters Support Current Law

‍76% of likely voters support the state’s current state law whereby the state’s primary elections, funded by state taxpayers, are open to all voters. By party identification, 64% of likely Republican primary voters, 83% of Independent voters, and 87% of likely Democratic primary voters agree that current law is sufficient. 

Voters Value Freedom

78% of likely voters oppose losing the ability to choose which primary election to vote in. By party identification, 66% percent of likely Republican primary voters, 81% of Independents, and 91% of likely Democratic primary voters oppose losing the ability to choose which primary election to vote in.

Voters Value Privacy

76% of likely voters oppose requiring registration by party affiliation in order to be allowed to vote in primary elections. By party identification, 58% of likely Republican primary voters, 86% of Independent voters, and 91% of likely Democratic primary voters oppose requirements to register by party affiliation. 

"Texas voters, and especially Republican primary voters, give strong support for the current state law that keeps primary elections open to all voters,” said Chris Perkins of Ragnar Research Partners. “Texans show they value freedom, oppose government overreach, and those core values are evident in the voters' views on our state’s primary elections.”

Commissioned by Unite America, Ragnar Research Partners conducted a Texas statewide survey of likely voters from Nov. 12 through Nov. 17, 2025 by live telephone operators, including landlines (4%) and cell phones (96%). Interviews included 1000 Likely Voters (LVs) and an oversample of 257 Likely Republican Primary Voters (RPVs), which brought the Republican number to n=589. The study’s marin of error is +/- 3%.

The full memo from Ragnar Research Partners can be found here.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Why Closed Primaries and Party Registration Poses Problems (Unite America memo)

Report: Closed Primaries Could Cost Texas $28 Billion by 2050 (Independent economic analysis by The Perryman Group)

Briefing Memo: Texas Open Primaries and Republican Party of Texas Lawsuit (Unite America)

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Unite America is a philanthropic venture fund that invests in nonpartisan election reform to foster a more representative and functional government.

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