Senior Liberal party figures reject claims support is growing for US-style primaries for preselections and say the issue is “distracting” from discussion on quotas, but the New South Wales Liberal Women’s Council president says the idea merits further investigation.
In the US, both Democrats and Republicans use primaries. Rules vary across states, and can be open (to any registered voter), closed (requiring party registration) or a mix of both. There can be thousands of participants, leading to high levels of voter engagement.
