Question about Michigan's primary

[ButterflyBlood]

I understand Michigan has no party registration, like my state of Minnesota. You may vote in whatever party's primary you wish and choose on election day.

However, how is this done? In Minnesota you get one ballot, which has all three parties listed on it (Jesse Ventura's party still has major party status here.) You then can vote in any of the parties' sections, but only one. If you vote in another (even for a different office), your ballot is invalidated.

If Michigan does it this way, it's impossible to make it a closed primary like I've heard some want, and exclude people who voted in the Republican primary last time. Once a ballot is handed to a voter everything from then out is private and figuring out which party's primary they voted in is as impossible as finding out specifically who they voted. The only record made is that they voted, not which primary they voted in.

The only way I could see Michigan doing this is if they have the system where they have separate ballots for each party's primary and you ask for the ballot you want. So what do they do?

[dmkinsey]

1. In the Michigan primary

the poll worker asks the voter which ballot she wants, Republican or Democratic. Some voters had a hissy over being required to state, aloud, their party preference.
I'm not sure but I assume the poll worker marked the party preference in the poll book. The original plan called for the voter data to be shared with the two Partys so there must be a record of who voted D and who voted R. Another lawsuit has stopped the distribution of the voter data on the grounds that it's public information and should be available to anyone who wants it.

In past Democratic caucus here they just make you sign a statement that you are "participating as a Democrat".
In 2004 we voted on-line too.