Let All Voters Vote.
OPEN VS. CLOSED PRIMARIES ACROSS THE U.S.
Oklahoma is one of 12 states with a closed primary. We need your help to change that.
Join Our Community.
Become a part of our community and help us create lasting change. Sign up for our newsletter to stay up-to-date on our latest initiatives and events.
Oklahoma Voice, 8/30/24
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma’s voting system is leading to low turnout rates, the election of more extreme candidates and disenfranchisement of voters who are excluded from participating in primary elections, experts said.
That’s prompting conversations about whether reforms are needed to increase voter participation rates and how the state can ensure hundreds of thousands of independent voters have a voice at the ballot box at a time when most outcomes are determined months ahead of November’s general election.
TULSA WORLD, 8/29/24
OP-ED BY MARGARET KOBOS, OKUNITED FOUNDER & CEO
TULSA - Political attention may be on the presidential election on Nov. 5, but Oklahomans have largely wrapped up the business of selecting the majority of our state and local officials.
That’s because in Oklahoma’s closed primary system, the important elections — where officials are chosen who make policies concerning education, transportation and public safety — happen in June and August. By the time the November election occurs, there are very few meaningful decisions left for Oklahomans to make.
Of the 127 state legislative seats up for grabs this year, 85 (more than two-thirds) were filled in a partisan primary in June or August. The numbers for sheriff are stunning — 71 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties will either select a sheriff in a primary election or rubber stamp an unopposed candidate. Even when candidates for offices like state Legislature appear on a November ballot, the vast majority of these contests are lopsided affairs coronating the winner of whichever major party dominates a particular district.
This means the elections that matter are primary elections. In Oklahoma’s closed primary system, independents are completely locked out of Republican primaries and are allowed to participate in Democratic primaries only at the discretion of the party.
This means Oklahoma’s fastest growing voting population, more than 20% of our electorate, is effectively disenfranchised from the most important elections, even though partisan primaries are funded with all our tax dollars. (Read more)
lasso Ok politics: Our experts weigh in on open primaries
On November 3, OKC Mayor David Holt led an energizing and informative live discussion on statewide political discord and dysfunction, and how we can transform that dynamic with fully open primaries. Other panel experts included Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum, former Oklahoma U.S. Congressman Mickey Edwards, and President John Opdycke of Open Primaries.
This room was full of people just like you who want to eliminate obstacles to good government, connect politicians and policies to real problems, and bring common sense and all voters into decisions. Hosts Valerie Naifeh and George Catechis and other business owners, community leaders, and concerned citizens around the state agree that Oklahoma deserves better. Our experts also agree that an open primary system in which all candidates must face all voters is the place to start.
Primaries are the most important part of our decision-making in the election process, and yet only a tiny fraction of Oklahomans vote in them. Our fast-increasing number of independent-registered voters (now over 431,000 and growing more than any party in OK) are opting out of the restrictive system they feel doesn't represent them. Many of these independent voters are young people: our children and grandchildren to whom we need and want to give a better future.
Open primaries are the first and most important thing we can do to bring voters off the sidelines, resulting in the freedom to vote for the candidate we like no matter where they come from, more choices for all voters, and better connections between public servants and the public.
Snapshot:
- Open primaries produce better government and accountable policymakers
- Open primaries are about competition of ideas and the free market
- Open primaries focus politicians on serving the majority and getting things done
- Oklahoma's voter turnout was last in the U.S. in 2020 - a change to open primaries would increase voter participation because people would finally feel heard in our primary elections
Voting is a right, and too many Oklahomans don't have that right in our closed primary elections.
The Oklahoman, 11/20/23
"Would Oklahomans approve a change in the state's primary election system?"
As a Republican member of Tulsa’s city council, G.T. Bynum rather forcefully opposed a proposal to make municipal elections in Oklahoma’s second-largest city nonpartisan. But voters were in favor of the plan and the change was made.
Now in his second term as Tulsa’s mayor, Bynum has completely altered his viewpoint.
He's now a fan of nonpartisan elections and their cousin, open primaries, saying they lead to more effective government by reducing the potential for partisanship in office.
Bynum joined three other prominent Republicans, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, former U.S. Rep. Mickey Edwards and Labor Commissioner Leslie Osborn at a recent fundraiser for a group called Oklahoma United for Progress that is seeking to promote the idea of some sort of open-primary system for Oklahoma.
