Riding the Red Wave

Reliably Republican Oklahoma is getting even redder.

Registered Republicans made up 53.4% of voters statewide on July 31, according to the Oklahoma State Election Board’s most recent month-end voter registration report. That’s a 1.1% uptick since the 2024 presidential election and 2.2% increase since the November 2022 gubernatorial election.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Party has lost nearly 50,000 voters since November. Democrats make up 25.6% of voters statewide, down from 30% in 2022. Independent voter registration has steadily increased to just under 20%.

A similar trend is playing out nationwide. Last week, the New York Times reported that Democratic voter registration is down in all 30 states that track voter registration by political party. Declines were the steepest among men and younger voters, according to the Times’ analysis.

Ask around and you’ll hear various explanations for the red wave. Republicans might tell you it’s because voters like Republican policies and are satisfied with how the governor and supermajority Legislature are governing. Others will argue it’s because more voters want to have a say in closed Republican primaries, where many races are decided before a general election.

Oklahoma Watch reported on the party-switching phenomena in January 2022, when it appeared possible the state superintendent race could be decided in the Republican primary. Groups like the Oklahoma Rural Schools Coalition pushed its members to register as Republicans so they could vote in the race. Democrat Jena Nelson announced her candidacy a few months after that story ran, ultimately losing to Ryan Walters.

Backers of State Question 836, a top-two primary reform ballot initiative effort that’s facing legal challenges, hope voters will approve their question and party affiliation won’t matter as much in future election cycles.

Oklahoma Watch (OklahomaWatch.org) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers public-policy issues facing the state.