In some Southern states, the primary election allowed only white voters; this is known as what?

• A. Open primary
• B. Closed primary
• C. White primary
• D. Party primary

Answer: (C)

The key idea is a discriminatory method used in elections to limit who can participate. In some Southern states, the primary was the decisive contest, so excluding Black voters by restricting participation to white voters meant they had no say in who would be the party’s nominee. This practice, called the white primary, effectively disenfranchised Black citizens even though they could vote in general elections in theory. The other options don’t capture this race-based exclusion: an open primary allows any voter to participate, a closed primary restricts by party membership rather than race, and a party primary simply describes the process of choosing a party’s nominee without implying discriminatory restrictions. The white primary was later struck down as unconstitutional because voting rights protections prohibit racial exclusion in elections.