25th November 2024, Oklahoma Watch
By Keaton Ross
An open primaries ballot initiative filed last week drew mixed reactions from Oklahoma elected officials, with Republicans and Libertarians largely opposed and Democrats supportive.
As I reported last week, State Question 835 proposes changing the state constitution to establish an open primary system where all candidates appear on the June primary ballot. The top two candidates would advance to the November general election, regardless of party affiliation.
Organizers hope to get the question on the ballot in November 2026. If approved, it would take effect during the 2028 election cycle.
Several Republicans, including Gov. Kevin Stitt and Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell, issued statements opposing the question, arguing the election format would put conservatives at a disadvantage. Republicans and Libertarians compared the proposed open primaries to California’s election system, which has used a top-two primary method since 2011.
“Oklahomans made decisions at the polls that these third party groups don’t like— so now they want to upend the way we run our elections,” Stitt wrote on X.
Libertarian Party Chair Chris Powell said a model similar to Texas and Arkansas, where voters can request any party’s primary ballot regardless of their political affiliation, makes more sense.
Democrats, which haven’t won a statewide election since 2006, were more receptive to State Question 835. In an interview with NonDoc, Democratic Party Chair Alicia Andrews said she had not evaluated the initiative’s language but supports measures that could increase voter participation.
Senate Minority Leader Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, called open primaries important while adding that other changes, including adopting automatic voter registration and creating an independent redistricting commission, are needed to boost voter turnout.
Oklahoma City mayor David Holt and former Tulsa mayor G.T. Bynum, both registered Republicans, have endorsed statewide open primaries as a solution to make Oklahoma politics less divisive. The system largely mirrors how municipal candidates for mayor and city council are selected.
“People always look at Oklahoma City and Tulsa and they say, ‘For whatever successes or failures you have, gosh it sure seems like you are electing mayors that unify people, that seem competent, that are well liked across the political spectrum,’ and it’s not magic,” Holt said in an interview with Independent Voter News.
What thoughts or questions do you have about State Question 835? Let me know at Kross@Oklahomawatch.org.