Effort to open Oklahoma primaries falls short

OKLAHOMA CITY – Supporters of a proposed state question to open primaries failed to secure the required signatures to get on the ballot.

The Oklahoma Secretary of State’s office announced March 5 the proposed constitutional amendment fell short of obtaining 172,993 valid signatures.

Supporters of State Question 836 in January turned in more than 200,000 signatures, but not enough were determined to be valid.

Tony Stobbe, an Edmond resident, independent voter and proponent, said the state’s primary system is broken.

“This effort started important conversations across our communities about fairness, accountability and making sure no one is shut out of the process,” Stobbe said in a statement. “While we are disappointed with the announcement, this campaign has proven that hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans are looking for elections that permit full participation regardless of partisan identity and provide an opportunity for consensus. Too many voters feel hopeless and disenfranchised by our current election system.”

State Question 836 proposed putting all candidates on a single primary ballot with party affiliation listed. Registered voters could select a single candidate in any contested race.

The two candidates that got the most votes would advance to the general election.

Currently, independent voters are not allowed to vote in Republican, Democratic or Libertarian primaries.

While the measure had support of some prominent Oklahoma Republicans, such as Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, Republican legislative leaders opposed it.

Oklahoma Voice (oklahomavoice.com) is an affiliate of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization, supported by grants and donations. Oklahoma Voice provides nonpartisan reporting, and retains full editorial independence.