What is a top-four primary?

It's a type of ranked choice voting system that promises to allow more choices than the typical two party elections. 

For more on the top-four primary itself, click here.

A top-four primary is a type of primary election in which all candidates are listed on the same primary ballot. The top four vote-getters, regardless of their partisan affiliations, advance to the general election. Consequently, it is possible for four candidates belonging to the same political party to win in a top-four primary and face off in the general election.

Alaska is using it for the first time June 11, 2022. Click here for info on that.

It was adopted by Alaska voters in a ballot initiative (Texans are not allowed to place initiatives on the state ballot).

More on the initiative here: 

On November 3 2020, Alaska voters approved a ballot initiative establishing a top-four primary for state executive, state legislative, and congressional elections. The initiative also established ranked-choice voting for general elections for the aforementioned offices and the presidency. Under Alaska's top-four primary system, all candidates for a given office run in a single primary election. The top four vote-getters, regardless of partisan affiliation, then advance to the general election. In general elections, voters rank the four candidates that advanced from the primaries. A candidate needs a simple majority of the vote (50 percent + 1) to be declared the winner of an election. If no candidate wins a simple majority of votes cast, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated from the running. Voters who selected that candidate as their first choice have their votes redistributed to their second choices. The tabulation process continues in rounds until a candidate receives a simple majority.

For more on the effort to establish these elections, click here.

In 2020, Alaska voters made history by becoming the first state to adopt top-four nonpartisan primaries, and the second to vote in favor of ranked choice voting. Yet, the fight to implement the reform began immediately. Within days of the amendment passing, a lawsuit was filed to challenge the measure. Some lawmakers are opposed to the policy, and the legislature can hold a vote to repeal the election reform following the 2022 election. Finally, it will be the first time an election system of this nature is ever used in the United States, requiring a robust public education effort grounded in new research and prolonged outreach campaigns.