OKUnited News July-September 2023
9/17/23
9/17/23
9/17/23
Opinion: I'm a 17-year old Oklahoma student and my peers don't see the point in voting.
If you’ve ever looked at the headlines and thought to yourself, “What the heck is going on?” you’re not alone. I’m right there with you.
Have you thought, said or heard the phrase: “My vote doesn’t matter.” I hear this phrase from all sides of the political spectrum.
Republicans feel as if their votes don’t matter because the current primary system heavily favors their party, so there’s really no reason to participate. Democrats feel as though their votes have no weight at all due to their lack of representation in state government. Independents and Libertarians often share the same sentiment because they have few or no choices.
My friends and I want to be hopeful for our state’s future, but we all feel completely powerless and like no one values us.
I’m 17 years old and a senior at Oologah-Talala. Many of my peers accept that their votes don’t make a difference.
7/23/23
9/17/23
9/17/23
COLUMN: Do closed primaries hurt the process?
Oklahoma recently made a significant change to its voting registration process. You can now register to vote online. (It’s important to point out this is only online registration, not online voting.) It took eight years for implementation, after approval by the state Legislature, while the state updated its driver’s license and ID information databases to make the system work.
Now, one group is looking to reform the state’s primary elections.
When our family moved to Oklahoma in the ‘70s, my mother told me several years later she had to switch her voter registration from Republican to Democrat. Few, if any, GOP-registered candidates ran for state or local office in those days so, with Oklahoma’s closed primary system, she was effectively walled out of voting in most races. Today the script has flipped and its Democrats who are frequently denied the chance to vote.
7/21/23
9/17/23
7/21/23
New group seeks changes in Oklahoma closed primary system
Dick Pryor: This is Capitol Insider - taking you inside politics, policy and government in Oklahoma. I'm Dick Pryor with Quorum Call publisher Shawn Ashley. For more than 30 years, Oklahoma's election system has been considered one of the most secure and most reliable in the United States. The process has changed from time to time, but the way Oklahoma runs elections and counts votes is a model for the nation. One aspect of the electoral process, though, is drawing new attention. Oklahoma's closed primary system. A new group is pushing for change and its leader is our guest. Margaret Kobos is founder and CEO of Oklahoma United. Margaret, thanks for joining us.
Margaret Kobos: Thank you so much for your interest.
Shawn Ashley: Margaret, what does your group see as the problem with Oklahoma's closed primaries?
Margaret Kobos: I could just get so revved up on this, but the bottom line is we are all seeing and feeling a gulf between policies and elected officials, including those who are honestly and sincerely trying to do their jobs to represent us and the people. And it's demonstrated in a lot of different ways.
7/19/23
7/19/23
7/21/23
Oklahoma group pushing for open primary elections
In Oklahoma, primary elections are largely open to only voters registered with a political party.
The parties have the option to open their primaries. The Democratic Party has allowed independents to vote in the party’s primaries for the past four years. Republicans and Libertarians have not.
Some Oklahomans are trying to change that.
Oklahoma United for Progress, a non-profit organization, is seeking to open the state’s primary system to all registered voters. The group believes it will increase voter participation and reduce political extremism and reduce costs for elections.
The group hosted a panel discussion about open primaries last week at The Press restaurant in Oklahoma City. Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum, Oklahoma Labor Commissioner Leslie Osborn and Open Primaries leader and attorney Jeremy Gruber served as panelists. Former State Sen. A.J. Griffin moderated the event.
7/19/23
7/19/23
7/19/23
Will one of the Nation's Most Partisan States Open Its Primaries?
Oklahoma is as deep red as a state can get. Of the 2.2 million registered voters, over half are registered Republicans. But does this mean that voters outside the party shouldn’t have a say in who represents them?
Primaries are the most critical stage of the election process for most elections in the US, and in a state where half of voters are registered with a single party, most races are decided before the general election at every level.
Oklahoma law stipulates that primary elections are reserved only for party members by default, but the parties may decide for themselves to allow participation from independent voters. This is known as a semi-closed partisan primary system.
Nearly 20% of the registered voting population is told to sit out while their representatives are chosen for them in low-turnout primary elections, some of which may only advance a candidate from the majority party.
7/16/23
7/19/23
7/19/23
Okla.'s primaries leave out voters
Oklahoma's Senate District 4, a region of tree-covered foothills that hugs the state's eastern border, is represented by Tom Woods, a feed store owner and rancher elected last year after advancing past a Republican primary and winning the party's runoff election.
The runoff win assured Woods the open Senate seat as no Democrat, Libertarian or independent candidate filed for the race, making a general election in November unnecessary.
The lack of non-Republican candidates also meant the district's 21,000 voters not registered as Republican - nearly half of the district's electorate - had no say in their next state senator.
7/14/23
7/14/23
7/14/23
Editorial: Election reforms in open primaries, no straight-party option to calm the rhetoric
Tulsa and Oklahoma City municipal elections have proven something: When every voter gets the same ballot, candidates representing the broadest consensus of a community emerge. That’s a good outcome.
When citizens feel they have a choice in their representation, they tend to vote more often and enter public life. Civic engagement goes up, and elected officials are more responsive to constituents.
Oklahoma faces a crisis in democracy. Since 2008, the state ranks in the bottom 10 in voter turnout for presidential races, including next to last in 2020. In the November election, 76% of Oklahoma voters younger than 30 did not vote.
7/13/23
7/14/23
7/14/23
Why advocates want to change Oklahoma's primary voting system
Oklahoma’s Senate District 4, a region of tree-covered foothills that hugs the state’s eastern border, is represented by Tom Woods, a feed store owner and rancher elected last year after advancing past a Republican primary and winning the party’s runoff election.
The runoff win assured Woods the open Senate seat as no Democrat, Libertarian or independent candidate filed for the race, making a general election in November unnecessary.
The lack of non-Republican candidates also meant the district’s 21,000 voters not registered as Republican — nearly half of the district’s electorate — had no say in their next state senator.
It was a similar situation for one out of every five Oklahoma voters last year who lived in a legislative district with an election but could not participate in the primary that selected their next legislator.
7/12/23
7/14/23
7/12/23
Margaret Kobos, CEO and founder of Oklahoma United, is pushing for open primaries in the state.
Open primaries allow all voters to participate regardless of party affiliation. In Oklahoma, state law only allows parties to permit registered members to participate, along with independent voters if they so choose.
Only the state Democratic Party has its primaries available to independent voters.
According to Oklahoma Republican Party Chairman Nathan Dahm, he doesn't want Democrats taking their ideas and inserting them into the Republican primary process.
7/12/23
7/12/23
7/12/23
Push for open primaries: Oklahoma United's fight to increase voter participation and choice
There's a few different types of elections: presidential, gubernatorial, even special.
But the start to any election is typically the primaries, the first look at the candidates.
In Oklahoma, there's two options to vote in the primary: registered Republicans or registered Democrats. You have to choose one or the other, or you can't vote.
Margaret Kobos, the CEO and Founder of Oklahoma United, has a problem with that.
"Oklahoma is last in the country in eligible voter participation and it has been for many years," Kobos said.
7/12/23
7/12/23
7/12/23
Oklahoma leaders advocate for open primaries at OKC panel discussion
Margaret Kobos, CEO and founder of Oklahoma United, is pushing for open primaries in the state.
Open primaries allow all voters to participate regardless of party affiliation. In Oklahoma, state law only allows parties to permit registered members to participate, along with independent voters if they so choose.
Only the state Democratic Party has its primaries available to independent voters.
According to Oklahoma Republican Party Chairman Nathan Dahm, he doesn't want Democrats taking their ideas and inserting them into the Republican primary process.
7/11/23
7/12/23
7/12/23
Tulsa Mayor to share view on open primaries in Oklahoma at panel discussion Tuesday
“I think the top two vote-getters ought to go on, or something similar to what we have in Tulsa: If somebody gets over 50%, there is no runoff. That forces candidates to focus on representing a consensus of their citizens rather than appealing to one political party or another.”
Bynum, a Republican, said he believes switching to open primaries would benefit the state regardless of which party happens to control the levers of power at any particular time.
“I think it is important to point out, there is a Republican dominance right now (in Oklahoma), but we have had for a longer period of time in Oklahoma with Democratic dominance, and I think we would have benefited from this under either scenario,” Bynum said.
OKUnited News February-March 2023
2/7/23
2/7/23
2/7/23
Oklahoma lawmakers propose changes to citizen-led petitions
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KFOR) — In a Senate Judiciary committee meeting Tuesday, lawmakers voted affirmatively for Senate Bill 518, pertaining to the state’s initiative petition process. If passed, the measure could additional requirements for citizen initiative petitions to reach a ballot.
Margaret Kobos, founder of OKUnited expressed concerns over SB 518 stating: “We’re just hearing a lot of people don’t feel like their voices matter. And when you have a Senate committee that is trying to dampen the voices of people, I just think you’re confirming their beliefs. And they will stay home and they won’t be engaged."
3/2/23
2/7/23
2/7/23
Oklahomans feel unheard due to the closed primary system
TULSA, OK (KOTV) — An Oklahoma group advocating for open primary elections hosted a burger night at McNellie's. Oklahoma United for Progress says 94% of Oklahoma elections are decided in the primary, and that's because Oklahoma primaries are closed.
OKUnited News 2022
10/12/22
10/12/22
10/12/22
Advocating for open primaries at both the statewide and national levels
TULSA, Okla. (Studio Blue at Public Radio Tulsa) — Question: How do closed primaries weaken our democracy? Answer: They produce elected officials who are more accountable to their party than their constituents, they restrict participation while also reinforcing division, and they exclude independent voters (who are the largest, fastest-growing sector of the US electorate).
9/28/22
10/12/22
10/12/22
Episode 18: We are out there for all Oklahomans!
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (Sunday Morning Magazine with Martha Steele) — This week we have an extended conversation with representatives from two different organizations.
Margaret Kobos, founder and CEO of Oklahoma United for Progress
and Julie Knutson, CEO of The Oklahoma Academy and John Harper, board member of The Oklahoma Academy
9/18/22
10/12/22
9/18/22
Editorial: Election reforms could aid Oklahoma's suffering democracy
TULSA, Okla. (Tulsa World) —
It’s bad for Oklahoma that nearly 70% of the legislative races have already been decided. Several reasons have led to this lopsided representation, and most are solvable.
The state had the 10th lowest voter turnout in the 2018 midterm election and the nation’s lowest in the 2020 election.
Studies show that legislators running unopposed are less engaged with their constituents. Also, citizens are more likely to become alienated from processes that don’t provide choices.
Oklahoma’s closed primaries shuts out hundreds of thousands of voters, and straight-party voting gives power to political parties over candidates.
8/23/22
8/23/22
9/18/22
'Unmute Oklahoma' Campaign Works to Open Primaries To All Voters
TULSA, Okla. (News on 6) — Oklahoma is a closed primary state. That means in order to vote in a Republican runoff election, you must be a registered Republican.
One group is hoping to change that in an effort to get more voters to the polls.
8/20/22
8/23/22
8/20/22
Group Seeks to Allow Independents to Vote in Any Oklahoma Primary
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (The Oklahoman) — Margaret Kobos, founder of Oklahoma United for Progress, began the UnmuteOK campaign in an effort to promote potential legislation for an open primary system. To gain momentum, Kobos is trying to receive at least 5,000 signatures on an informal petition for future lobbying.
“You don't take tax money from a person and then exclude them from the public benefit — and that’s what we see happening with closed primaries,” Kobos said.
6/25/22
8/23/22
8/20/22
Finding Less Extreme Candidates
Tulsa, Okla. (Tulsa World) — With the primary election on Tuesday, it’s become clear Oklahoma’s mostly closed system produces more extreme candidates, particularly among the dominant Republican Party. Conservative candidates seek to out-conservative each other to the fringes to win the taxpayer-funded primary. This edges out candidates interested in more broad-based governing, prevents honest political discourse and focuses on divisive cultural issues. This system puts power in parties, not people. We are encouraged by the efforts of Unmute Oklahoma, which has an online petition to build support for changing the state primaries.
6/17/22
6/17/22
6/17/22
'Unmute Oklahoma' Creates Petition To Repeal Closed Primaries In The State
Tulsa, Okla. (KOTV) — The Oklahoma primary election is coming up on June 28th, and one organization is fighting for open primaries. Currently, Oklahoma has closed primaries, meaning people can only vote within their registered party. Those registered as "Independent" can only vote if one of the parties allows it. "Unmute Oklahoma" has created a petition to repeal closed primaries in Oklahoma. Click Here for more information or to sign the petition.
6/16/22
6/17/22
6/17/22
Fact Check: Group claims OK had lowest 2020 general election turnout in nation
OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KOKH) — Did Oklahoma have the lowest eligible voter participation of any state in the November 2020 general election? That's what the group Oklahoma United for Progress is saying. But is it true? It turns out — according to data from the Pew Research Center — that the organization's claim is correct.
6/16/22
6/17/22
6/16/22
Unmute Oklahoma is a newly launched campaign aiming to repeal closed primaries in our state
TULSA, Okla. (Public Radio Tulsa) — Did you know that Democratic primaries in Oklahoma allow Independent voters to participate, but Republican primaries DON'T allow Independents to do so? And did you know that only about 55% of eligible voters in Oklahoma actually voted in the November 2020 election...and that this is the lowest voter-participation percentage nationwide? Our conversation on ST is about how to get more voters voting in the Sooner State, and our guest is Margaret Kobos, the founder of Oklahoma United for Progress. This organization is today (Thursday the 16th; here in Tulsa) launching a statewide campaign -- "a sort of road show," as Kobos puts it -- aimed at both generating awareness and gathering petition signatures in order to repeal closed primaries in Oklahoma. You can learn more about this campaign, and can sign the online petition, at unmuteok.org.
6/16/22
2/13/2022
6/16/22
Should primaries be open to Independents?
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — "We want to improve voter participation in Oklahoma," said Margaret Kobos of Oklahoma United for Progress. When she saw the data on voter turnout in Oklahoma, she was not happy. "When we saw that Oklahoma is last in eligible voter participation every single cycle in the country, always last," she said. So to try to change that she's about to launch a campaign to open up primaries to Independents.
2/13/2022
2/13/2022
2/13/2022
Open primaries will give voice to political middle
TULSA, Okla. (Tulsa World) --
We’re electing politicians with no incentive to govern. Our general election races are increasingly uncompetitive, and voters have no interest in meaningless elections. The real decisions are made in primary contests. In Oklahoma’s closed primary system, only the most partisan voters participate. To these voters, and these voters alone, our resulting politicians believe they’re accountable.
This closed loop produces a revolving door through which politicians are elected and re-elected by placating the most partisan voters, at the expense of the rest of us.
As a result of our closed system, Oklahoma has earned the honor of having the worst eligible voter turnout in the entire U.S. nearly every one of the last 20 years.