information:classification, structural:reformatting, structural:expansion
Voter participation

It has also been claimed that the open primary is bad for voter participation. In Hawaii, primary voter turnout fell from 74.6% in 1978 to 42.2% in 2006 after changing to open primaries, although this could be the result of various other factors—not just the move towards the open primary system. The closed primary system had more of an incentive for people to join one of the major parties, which possibly led to people being more involved in the voting process. With the open primary, some argue, more voters become independent and are less likely to participate in the nominating or election processes.