Op-Ed by Margaret Kobos, OKUnited Founder & CEO

Tulsa World, August 29, 2024

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.

Similarly, Republicans living in areas dominated by Democrats and Democrats living in heavily Republican areas are denied the chance to cast a meaningful vote and have limited ballot choices. The real contest occurs during a partisan primary they are outright disenfranchised from.

This system serves no one. Why does this all matter?

Because our current system of closed primaries is feeding discontent and disconnection between the people and decisions that control everything in our lives: our utility bills, school lunches and highways. Only about 1-in-5 voting age Oklahomans participate in primary elections, meaning a small minority of partisans dictate who our state legislators, sheriffs and other office holders are.

More voters show up in the November election, but many people have taken notice of how meaningless these contests are and have chosen not to participate. In 2022, Oklahoma ranked 50th out of the 50 states and the District of Columbia for voter turnout.

A healthy democracy is defined by an engaged electorate and elected officials who feel beholden to a majority of their constituents. Oklahoma has neither, and the culprit is our closed primary system.

The antidote to our current democratic disengagement is to give all lawfully registered voters the ability to participate in the primaries they are already funding.

Opening our primaries, as 38 other states already have done in some form, is a commonsense approach that will encourage voter participation, bring more choices and freedom to all voters, broaden accountability and make our elections meaningful.

At OKUnited, we are specifically advocating for a type of election system known as unified primary.

In this system, all candidates, regardless of party, run on one primary ballot with their party affiliation listed by their name. All registered voters, regardless of their party, then vote for the person they like best, no matter how the voter or the candidate is registered.

The two candidates receiving the most votes, regardless of party affiliation, move to the general election in November.

In this type of system, every citizen in Oklahoma has a chance to vote for their elected officials, regardless of their party registration. Every taxpayer can participate in the elections they help to fund. And every elected official has received the support of a majority of the voting public in their district.

Will moving to a system of open primaries solve every imperfection in our politics? Of course not. But the best way to assure voters that their votes matter is to reform the system so they actually do.

August 15, 2024

Efforts to end Oklahoma's exclusionary primary elections are underway, and voters ought to get behind the effort. It would allow all voters regardless of party affiliation a say in their representatives. It would improve choices on the ballot and inspire better voter participation.

Oklahoma taxpayers pay for the current primary elections, which is unfair to the tens of thousands of voters who are unable to cast a ballot because they are of a different party or unaffiliated. It's generated an overall apathy and candidates catering to an extreme end of party politics.

The state ranks last in the nation in voter participation. More than 70% of legislative seats in the last three election cycles have been decided in primaries or were uncontested. The restrictive primary system is partly to blame.

Other states found better primary systems generating more candidates to offer diverse viewpoints to the governance. State party leaders and some in elected office to balk; they fear a loss of power. Because of this, change will likely only happen through a grassroots, citizen-led effort.

Oklahoma United announced it plans to seek a citizen petition to amend the state constitution for unified ballot with partisan labels, as reported by Corey Jones of the Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism Team. Its goal is to have a ballot question in place for the November 2026 election.

The proposed unified ballot works similar to municipal and school board elections with some key differences. One would be candidates listing their party affiliation, so elections remain partisan. Another would be the top two candidates going to a general election, regardless of the number of ballots separating the two.

So, the general election could be two people of the same party or of differing parties. If only two candidates file to run, then they would go directly to the November general election because the primary would be unnecessary. This would affect U.S. congressional, statewide legislative, statewide executive, county offices and district attorney races.

Nothing stops a political party from putting forth a candidate. If the party is strong, then that endorsement would hold influence. But, taxpayers won't be paying for their choice, and other candidates from the party would be allowed on the ballot.

Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum is among several leaders in the state supporting the idea. As a city councilor and mayor, he ran on an open ballot.

"I say this as a Republican who is not afraid of competing with Democrats and independents in the competition of ideas - nor should any Republicans in Oklahoma. If we have confidence in what we believe in and the message that we deliver and the positions that we have, then we should not be afraid of competition. We should welcome it.

"And so, again, I think competition in the marketplace of ideas, just like in any other field, only serves to improve the eventual outcome for the customer.”

Oklahomans embrace their freedoms, and that's what this is about: freedom to seek office and freedom to vote, regardless of fealty to political party bosses.

Read at Tulsa World.

Registering to vote in the state of Oklahoma is easier now thanks to an online P.Ortal that serves all Oklahomans. Until recently, a voter registration form had to be physically filled out and mailed to a county or state election board.

It's been reported that despite the surge of people who register to vote in the United States in 2020, voter turnout is still at record lows throughout the country. Our particular part of the country, Oklahoma, had the lowest voter turnout (about 55%) of all the states for the 2020 presidential election. This means that a very small percentage of Oklahomans are deciding the outcomes for 100% of us. A representative democracy is designed to represent the needs and values of all citizens, not a handful.

A major reason Oklahomans don't think their votes count is because closed primaries make it impossible for them to participate in selecting which candidates end up on the ballot for the general elections. The most obvious solution that would optimize the electoral processes and instantly increase the available voter pool is to repeal closed primaries that keep us from being able to make meaningful choices in Oklahoma. In 2022 many candidates for public office in Oklahoma were unopposed, which indicates a lack of interest in voting and civic engagement. Open primaries would put choices in front of all Oklahomans to select candidates that represent us while revitalizing interest in voting.

It's interesting that in 1925 our innovative Oklahoma Legislature passed a form of ranked choice voting, but it was never put into practice. Ironically, our brief and abandoned effort for primary reform was intended to reduce extremism. For too long, almost a hundred years, Oklahomans have been forced into a binary ballot choice that caters to extremism.

We all deserve the opportunity to choose from a variety of candidates that includes people who know how to work together to strengthen our Legislature. Our general election laws allow Oklahomans to vote for candidates of any party, but by then the closed primaries system has ensured a very limited number of candidates chosen by a partisan process marked by voter apathy. The decisions have really already been made. With low voter turnout, candidates succeed by appealing only to a very small population of regular voters.

More voters mean better representation. The "UnmuteOK" campaign launched by Oklahoma United for Progress points out that 94% of Oklahoma elections are decided in the primary, not the general election. Oklahomans of various political affiliations still have shared values and should be permitted to vote accordingly.

Oklahoma already has a secure form of voting, so some form of nonpartisan open primaries would simply create a system proven to make all of our votes meaningful. My message is:

1. 1.Use the new voter portal to register and to check details about elections and polling places.
2. Vote in every election you can.
3. Join me in working to make primary elections in Oklahoma open to every lawfully registered voter.

For many young people like me who do not align with one side of political views against another, the current system of closed primaries results in having a small percentage of voters choose who will represent all of us.

Growing up in an immigrant household and knowing many people with resident status who do not have the power to vote motivates me to go into the polls, something I did as soon as I turned 18. I still vote in each election with my family in mind, and I want open primaries for myself and for all Oklahomans so we may vote regularly - not for the party, but for the person.

Yvonne Galvan is an Oklahoma native, a recent University of Oklahoma graduate, and a political researcher who lives and works in Oklahoma City.

Read it online at The Daily Oklahoman website

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.

In the 2020 election, Oklahoma ranked next to last in the nation in voter turnout, with only Texas lagging, according to an analysis of federal election data. By 2022, Oklahoma had fallen to last place, with only 55% of the eligible population casting a ballot.

Yale University found that it’s vital for young people to vote because voting is habitual. People who vote from the age of 18 are more likely to vote in the future. My generation has lost faith in politics, so they are less likely to vote. Under 25% of eligible voters younger than 30 cast ballots last November.

Why does my generation have such a lackluster view of voting? Independents, the largest growing political group in Oklahoma, are barred from Republican primaries, yet Republicans hold every statewide and congressional seat in our state and a supermajority in the Legislature.

Democrats have voluntarily permitted unaffiliated voters in their primaries, but it’s still not a level playing field for all voters. Regardless of their party affiliation, I want our elected officials to confront issues that young people worry about: education, health care, public safety and the cost of living.

The accomplishments, and lack thereof, have left Oklahoma 46th in the nation for youth well-being as reported by the national Kids Count annual report. This downward trend will continue as long as Oklahoma’s voters neglect the ballot booth. Why? Because our collective apathy disconnects the people from the officials.

How do we restore faith in our political system? Many states have increased voter turnout through primary election reform. An open primary system allows all voters to participate in primary contests, regardless of political affiliation or non-party registration. Six of the highest turnout states in 2022 were states with open primaries. Oklahoma is the only state among our neighbors with a closed primary system.

Voter turnout is a key sign of a healthy democracy.

Open primaries don’t just increase voter turnout. They also have the ability to advance centrist political candidates motivated by topics that concern all aspects of daily life. Moderates or centrists have few chances of appearing on the general election ballot, where all eligible Oklahomans can cast a vote. These results-oriented politicians have potential to help Oklahoma by focusing on commonsense legislation and responding with solutions that improve the quality of life for all of us.

Centrist representatives are more likely to end gridlock in Congress. Brookings found that the presence of centrists in elected bodies creates a 10% decrease in gridlock.

Oklahoma’s growing number of independent or unaffiliated voters, now over 400,000 out of the approximately 2.2 million registered total, demonstrates that gridlock between two major parties is not what our citizens want. We want rational and relatable research, deliberation and solutions to issues impacting all Oklahomans, young and old.

All of these facts are why I volunteer for Oklahoma United for Progress , a nonpartisan organization working to repeal closed primaries to free Oklahomans to vote in all elections.

Oklahoma United is right there with us because it wants what’s best for Oklahoma in a way I haven’t seen in any other organization. Our grassroots efforts connect Oklahomans to the patriotic cause of a better democracy.

I’m channeling my frustration and disappointment into a positive and lasting reform that helps all of us.

All of our electorate deserves to be represented, including my friends and me. When we see higher voter turnout, moderate representation and a decrease in gridlock, we can get to a healthier Oklahoma.

At the end of the day, whether you’re Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, or somewhere in between, that’s a future that we can all hope for. I’m a high school senior, and I want open primaries.

"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 ..."

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