Should Oklahoma mandate open primaries in 2024?
Unaffiliated voters are Oklahoma’s largest-growing voter block, with registered independents now making up 19% of voters. This means nearly 1 in 5 registered Oklahoma voters are barred from participating in Republican and libertarian primaries, primaries that often determine major races in the deep red state.
We asked readers their thoughts on the growing movement to mandate open primaries.
From email submissions, to survey form responses, here are the comments we’ve gathered on this topic:
From our inbox
● Republicans and independents Democrats and independents This way each party can have independents voting either democratic or republican candidates.
— Bill Gary
● I have come to believe that primary votes should be open to all registered voters. If for no other reason, than because they are paid for with tax dollars. Political parties that want to limit participation should then pay for the primaries.
— Deborah Maupai, Oklahoma City
● I favor open primaries.
I prefer Ranked Choice voting!!!
— Scott Davis, Oklahoma City
From our survey form
● An open primary is crucial to changing the imbalance in this state.
— Donna Sinnes, Stillwater
● I would like to be able to vote for the candidate I want, regardless of party affiliation, and I know my 31-year old daughter feels the same way.
— Laura Chalus, Inola
● The up-and-coming generation realizes the need for change and for working together to make a better world for all of us. Open primaries certainly would help to achieve that.
— Marilyn McMurray, Oklahoma City
● I would like to see open primaries, but until we get different leadership in our Legislature they will never allow it. They know that it benefits the party in power. Already have had conversations about this with leadership. It will have to be done by the people. And then the question becomes is this where we are going to spend our grassroot monies.
— Deborah Johnson, Owasso
● I believe it is absolutely necessary so that one party doesn’t gain complete control for an indefinite amount of time. Allowing open primaries ensures that the far right and far left don’t dictate policy and decision-making. It gives the majority middle more of a voice.
— Courtney T., Edmond
● Open primaries provide a true reflection of Oklahoma voter choices. I am not persuaded to vote for someone based solely on the party they are affiliated with. Closed primaries deny me the right to choose a person for office that I believe will represent me. I resent the GOP telling me that I must only vote for their candidates. I want freedom of choice!
— Suzanne Rausch, Tulsa
● Many elections at the local and county level in Oklahoma only involve Republican candidates. So, voters not a registered Republican cannot vote in that election at all. This promotes further polarization of the political process and may very well not reflect the will of the local populace. All taxpayers are footing the bill for local elections and should be able to vote regardless of political party affiliation.
— Gary Holland, Stillwater
● I appreciate political parties want to control what goes on in their own parties. What concerns me is the stranglehold two parties have on virtually all elections at every scale throughout the country. My concern is only heightened when I recognize that small factions within each political party wield inordinate control within their respective parties. If political parties will continue to obfuscate alternative political parties or even outright refuse them from participating in our self-governance with USA elections, then I feel obligated to accommodate independent voters in both parties’ primaries. Since American tradition and current political conditions virtually ensure state and the federal governments will not remediate the mechanics of election procedures to ensure more accurate representation, the priority to improve what can be improved, participation in party primaries, is increased.
— Chris K., Glencoe
● I finally left the Republican Party in 2020. I wanted to leave many years ago but didn’t want to give up my right to vote in the primaries. So now I can’t vote most of the time. I have no voice unless I want to be an R or a D. I am neither. I am just American with no voice. So yeah, open the dang primary!
— Julie Buckley, Guthrie
● Open primaries are preferable to the current situation in Oklahoma, which sometimes disenfranchises those who aren’t registered Republicans. However, because Oklahoma state politics are dominated by the Republican Party, open primaries would probably still result in a power imbalance in the state. I’m more in favor of Instant Runoff Voting, also called Ranked Choice Voting, which eliminates the need for primaries. It saves money, time, and allows a more accurate measure of voter’s preferences.
— Robin Cornwell, Stillwater
● Mandatory open primaries violate the First Amendment right of free association. If someone wants to influence a party election they need to be a member of that party.
— Jay Norton, Oklahoma City
● It is not just the younger folks that are tired of the extreme polarization. I like the idea of open primaries. I am one of the registered independents.
— Greg Conder, Claremore
● Open primaries provide a balanced approach to selecting candidates that represent the majority of the population and increases collaboration. On the flip side, closed primaries benefit extreme candidates with special interests that polarize communities. — Adrienne Elder, Nichols Hills
● I believe the more individuals voting, the more effective our elections will be. I would also support rank choice voting and feel elections would be more efficient that way.
— Lisa Bozeman, Stillwater
● Oklahoma should definitely enact open primaries. In addition to that, eliminate straight party ticket voting. I was a registered Republican for 40 years, but 4 years ago registered as an Independent.
— Richard Johnson, Tulsa
● Opening the primaries to all registered voters would require the candidates to develop a campaign strategy that would appeal to a wider range of voters. They would have to describe and justify their stance on a wide range of issues. This would allow for accountability to all voters once in office as well.
— Ros Elder, Tulsa
● I think we should find another way for voters to choose the candidates for the general election. Open primaries mean that voters can cross party lines and vote for the candidate they think are least likely to win. Closed primaries mean that those not registered with one of the main parties don’t have a vote. Perhaps somehow using rank-choice voting is worth thinking about.
— Becky Schaller, Oklahoma City
● Elections have been hijacked by the most extreme ends of both major parties. I believe that primaries should be open to all voters so candidates need to appeal to a broader slice of the electorate. I would also like to see ranked choice voting.
— Kami Barton, Tulsa
● The only fair system would be a single primary, open without regard to party affiliation or lack thereof, with ranked choice voting used to determine which two candidates advance to the general election. This would give everyone a voice, and reward candidates acceptable to a broad spectrum of citizens.
— Gary Harris, Ada
● We need to open our primaries to all voters. Young people need to know their votes count and not lost to a single party favored system. Oklahomans need to celebrate their right to vote and end our ranking as a state with extremely low voter turnout.
— Karen Fraser, Tulsa
● Not only should Independents be able to vote in primaries, but party members should be able to cross over.
— Jo Ann Barker, Tulsa
● Mixed. I am personally disenfranchised by closed primaries and personally think radical right or left candidates are counterproductive to good governance and run strongly counter to the direction I want our country to go. I am strongly opposed to closed primaries in cases where a primary results in an unchallenged candidate in the general elections.
However, I don’t think our electorate’s shift to independent is telling us they want to vote in a particular party’s primary. I think what our citizens are actually demonstrating is growing disillusionment with our party system as a whole. I am a far greater supporter of a shift toward elimination of partisan primaries across the board and a greater shift to rank choice voting, preservation of citizen ballot initiative, and campaign finance reform--all steps that would level the playing field both for candidates and for voters.
— A.Y., Tulsa
● I think it is absolutely vital and would bolster democracy. I am neither a registered Libertarian nor a Republican, but considering the electoral advantage these two parties enjoy in Oklahoma, I understand the reality that most of our elected representatives will belong to one of these two parties, and I would like to have a say over which primary candidate I would prefer to move onto the general election. My life and the lives of the rest of Oklahomans will be affected by the policies of whoever is elected, and therefore I believe nonaffiliated voters should have a choice in who they would prefer to represent them.
— Lauren Hollister, Ponca City
● I am in favor of open primaries. As a registered independent I believe my voice should be heard in each and every election. I should be able to voice my choice of candidate regardless of the party. I understand I can vote my choice in a general election but I believe I should be able to also voice who I would prefer the candidates be in that general election.
— Marilyn Belcher, Tulsa
● I purposefully changed my affiliation to Republican so that I would have a voice in Oklahoma. I feel that primaries should be open since we all have to live with the vote regardless of how we choose.
— Jackie Tucker, Edmond
● Let Republicans vote for the candidate they want and let the Democrats vote for the candidate they want and Libertarians and independents vote for their party’s choice. As a Republican I don’t want Democrats choosing my candidate. If people choose to be an independent then that is their choice. They can vote for anyone in the general election.
— John Crain, Nichols Hills