Towards the end of the nineteenth century, frustration with party boss control of the nomination process continued to grow. At the beginning of the twentieth century, at the behest of Progressives, several states adopted the presidential primary election, allowing voters to directly participate in the nomination process for the first time. Both national parties accepted the validity of the primary election process, but the early primaries did little to empower ordinary voters. In most primary states, voters did not directly vote for the presidential candidate but rather for the individual delegates to the national convention, whose candidate preference was often unknown and not disclosed on the ballot. As a result, uncommitted and favorite-son delegations, both of which were typically stand-ins for the state and local party bosses, often won the primary elections. Moreover, even when a candidate won a state’s primary, the national convention often allowed delegates from that state to vote for a different candidate; the primary result was not viewed as binding. Thus, despite the initial promise of primary elections, ordinary voters remained on the periphery of the nomination choice.