Gapers Block, an on-line news source for Chicago, has this interesting article by Phil Huckelberry about the upcoming March 18, 2014 Illinois primary. Because the Democratic primary, at least for the important statewide offices (Governor and U.S. Senator) is an unexciting event, it appears many Democratic-leaning groups may encourage Democrats to vote in the Illinois Republican primary.

Illinois does not have registration by party, so it fits the classic definition of an open primary state. Some of the definitions of types of primary in the article don’t correspond to that vocabulary, however. In Illinois, the press seems to think that an open primary is only a primary in which a voter’s choice as to which primary ballot to choose is a secret. In Illinois, a voter must publicly ask for one particular party’s primary ballot at the polling place. Therefore the Illinois press doesn’t describe the existing Illinois system as an open primary.