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It's rather an interesting question whether the Kingdoms in Exile continued the Numenorean practice of straight primogeniture, or rather adopted a full- or semi-Salic rule. It does appear that when Earnil died, there were descendants of Anarion kicking around but they were disqualified; I doubt this was due to "impure blood," given Valacar, so I think it could only be explained by distaff descent.
Unlike Numenor, Arnor and Gondor were kingdoms perpetually at war and their kings were expected to lead their armies. This being the Tolkienverse, there weren't going to be warrior queens Xena-ing their way through the legions of Orcs. (T. himself neatly sidestepped the issue by providing every king/chieftain with an eldest son, or no children but a nephew).
It's worth recalling that the rather surprising change to the Numenorean succession law in the time of Aldarion was Tolkien's awkward way of making a retroactive case that Silmarien was kinda sorta the true heiress and so Elendil had a spiritually superior title to Pharazon.
It does appear that the Noldor practiced Salic succession; neither Galadriel nor Idril's grandson/Elwing's son Elrond ever claimed the crown. Of course, it could simply be that after Gil-Galad's fall there weren't enough Noldor left to constitute a kingdom, sort of like the northern Dunedain after Arvedui.
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The entire plot of The Lord of the Rings could be said to turn on what Sauron didn’t know, and when he didn’t know it.
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