If you go into the election with a clear idea of who you would like to see win, who less favorable choices are, and who you most definitely would not like to see in power, you will be able to vote in a more decisive manner.


The research you have conducted up until this point should prepare you to make a clear and informed choice.
 Primaries can be open, closed, or semi-closed. You can try different tactical voting methods depending on the type of primary.


In an open primary, where voters can vote for any party regardless of their own party preference, you can try “crossover” voting. In this case, you would attempt to influence the nomination of a party which allows “crossover” voting by voting in that party’s primary. This way, you could try to swing the other party's nomination to be more liberal or conservative, depending on your preference.

For example, if you are a Libertarian, you could vote in the Democratic primary for the candidate who you find most agreeable or the one you dislike the least.Parties allowing “crossover” voting this election are the American Independent, Democratic, and Libertarian parties.Certain states will only permit “crossover” voting for unaffiliated voters. In that case, you have to be registered as No-Party Preference in order to cast a vote for a specific party different from your affiliation.Another tactical voting strategy for primaries involves partisans voting for the candidate generally considered to be weaker or the “lesser of two evils” in another party’s open primary. The goal with this strategy is to have the other party’s nominee be easier to defeat in the general election., This might mean casting an insincere vote - not voting for the option you actually prefer but instead simply voting for somebody who has a higher chance of winning and who you tolerate.If you gauge from the election forecast that your preferred candidate/party has a fair chance of winning - is in first or second place, say - then simply vote for them, or rank them highest in your list of choices.
If your preferred candidate is less likely to win according to the election forecast, then vote for your second or third choice candidate (if they are more likely to win).
 In this case, you would only vote for one candidate even though you have the option to vote for more.


This could be a good strategy if there are, say, two seats available and you know your preferred candidate is not going to get the most votes but might come a close second. In such a case, you would not want to risk having a third candidate take the second spot, so only vote for one candidate., This means voting for a party’s entire slate of candidates for every office. While only a few states offer this option, this is a good strategy if your goal is for nominees to be only from your party.
Rank candidates.
Vote in the primaries.
Vote for whoever in your party you think has a greater chance of winning.
Cast a bullet vote.
Participate in straight-ticket voting.
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