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. 

'"Voters don't want the extremes," Edwards said in an interview with The Oklahoman. "The overall public is not hardline partisan. What I've been advocating for a long time now is to just open up the process instead of letting the activist groups narrow the voters' options. It's a democracy, so let anybody who wants to run, run, and then let all of the voters choose which one they like."'

Read the op-ed here.

One group thinks open primary elections in Oklahoma could boost voter turnout

A group is seeking to boost voter participation in Oklahoma by opening primary elections to all voters, regardless of political party.  

State-level races are often decided in Republican primaries in Oklahoma, because there are no Independent or Democratic candidates on the ballot, leaving many voters locked out. 

“Voters are showing up with nothing to vote for and all the meaningful decisions are happening in the primary.” said Jeremy Gruber, Senior Vice President at Open Primaries. “That’s why everyone needs a chance to participate.”

Read the story here.

Oklahoma voter turnout lowest in the nation, drops from previous presidential elections

Despite a record number of Oklahomans voting in the presidential election, turnout dropped

Despite record voter registration and early voting participation, Oklahoma had the lowest turnout rate among eligible voters in the country, one analysis found.

Read the story here.

Opinion: Straight-party voting is convenient, but an informed choice is a better option

. . . Currently, Oklahoma has a partially closed primary system, which limits participation and reinforces party dominance. Adopting open primaries would allow for more representative outcomes, giving voters the freedom to evaluate candidates on their merit rather than simply following party lines.

Read the op-ed here.