HOW DOES THE CURRENT PRIMARY SYSTEM WORK IN OKLAHOMA?

In such a system, only voters registered with a particular party may vote in that party’s primary election.*

*Oklahoma law allows each political party to decide each election cycle whether to let independents to vote in their primaries. At times, the Democratic Party has allowed independents to vote, but this is not guaranteed or the case every election cycle.

The current system is particularly unfair to independents, who make up 20 percent of the voting population and are in many cases completely disenfranchised or forced to join a political party. Similarly, Republicans in heavily Democratic areas or Democrats in heavily Republican areas are often robbed of the chance to cast a meaningful vote.

Concerned citizens can file an initiative petition with the Oklahoma Secretary of State. After a period for the public to review the filing, the proponents of the new state question will have 90 days to collect 172, 993 signatures (15 percent of the total votes cast for governor in 2022). If the proponents are successful, Governor Kevin Stitt will set a date for an election. At that point, Oklahomans will vote on whether to move the state to an open primary system.

In Nov. 2020 and Nov. 2024, Oklahoma’s voter participation rate was last in the nation. That’s indicative that something is seriously wrong with the way our democracy functions.

• The elections that most people participate in – our November elections – don’t matter. Yes, we just had a consequential presidential election. But when it comes to our state and local government, the November elections are of little consequence. For instance:

• Eighty-six percent of Oklahoma’s federal, state and county offices either had no general election or a general election that was rendered meaningless because there were not two major party candidates on the ballot.

• Only 6 of the 77 county sheriff posts were contested by members of both major parties.

• Every seat held by a Democrat in the State Legislature before November 5 will continue to be held by a Democrat; and every Republican seat held by a Republican will continue to be held by a Republican. 

• The system is most unfair to independents, who make up more than 1 in 5 Oklahoma voters. There are over 480,000 independents in the Sooner State as of 10/31/24, and this voting bloc is growing at a faster rate than either of our major parties. 

Could independents swing Oklahoma election results? More voters say they're independent.

Should independents be able to vote in party primaries?

Kobos attributes the lack of political engagement to the inability of independents to vote in party primaries in Oklahoma. The Sooner State has a closed primary system.

Democrats have opened their primaries to independents, while Republicans and Libertarians have not. Primary elections not only drive the choices that voters see in November, but also voter participation, Kobos said.

Read the story here.

"I don't think our current system is sustainable," said longtime Oklahoma City pollster and strategist Pat McFerron. "It's not working. Our November election (participation) is 50th in the nation, and it's easy to see why. Our November elections don't matter.

"The reality is, a state senator represents 80,000 residents. If you can get 2,500 votes in your primary, you're probably going to win. That's 3%. … Our current system just doesn't work."

McFerron was part of a six-member Monday afternoon panel discussion that dealt primarily with changing Oklahoma's primary system to something closer to the way Tulsa and Oklahoma City elect mayors and city councilors.

Read the story here.

Opinion: Oklahoma's voter turnout is low. We shouldn't take privilege for

granted.

. . . Sharing statistics of our low voter turnout in Oklahoma was even more regrettable with an audience of people who are not allowed the opportunity to vote. The international students had many questions about why turnout is so low in the United States. Barriers such as the structure of Oklahoma’s primary system, challenges with early and mail-in voting, and general voter disenfranchisement are often cited, but in this context, those explanations felt inadequate.

Read the op-ed here.

Who are Oklahoma’s deleted voters? State provides data breaking it down by party

Hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans whose voter registration was deleted in recent years roughly reflect the overall layout of party affiliation in the state, though Democrats and independents were overrepresented among voters deleted for inactivity ... It’s no surprise that Democrats and independents show greater inactivity than Republicans in Oklahoma, said Pat McFerron, a conservative campaign consultant and polling expert. 

Read the story here.