New Jersey is the only state in which partisan primary ballots give candidates endorsed by the party organization a superior spot on the ballot. This New Jersey Spotlight article explains how the process works. The endorsement process is controlled by county political party organizations. So for offices that extend beyond the boundaries of a single county, different candidates in the same race may get the superior ballot position from county to county.
This article also reveals how the term “open primary” means different things in different states. As reading the article shows, “open primary” in New Jersey refers to a primary in which the party organization has chosen to make no endorsement. That is true for Pennsylvania as well.
In California, the party organizations in each county make the endorsements that appear in the sample ballots sent to all voters. I don’t know if different counties have ever had conflicting endorsements, but there have been cases where a county party has failed to relay the endorsement to county election officials.
All California registered voters gets two publications in the mail. The county sends the sample ballot and arguments about local ballot measures. The state sends a book with party endorsements and arguments pro and con on statewide ballot measures.
The name of the county publication is “Voter Information Pamphlet and Sample Ballot.” The name of the state publication is “Official Voter Information Guide.” This year my county book is 154 pages and the state book is 95 pages.
NO primaries.
PR and AppV
You will find the party endorsements on page 31 of the local pamphlet.