21st December 2024
By Tabor Watkins, published in Stillwater News Press
As a college student at Oklahoma State University and someone who has worked in political offices and campaigns, I’ve seen firsthand how disconnected many voters – especially young people – are from politics. Many Oklahomans choose not to vote because they don’t believe their vote matters, or because they don’t believe the candidates care about their views. Tragically, our closed and exclusionary system of partisan primaries means they may have a point.
That’s why earlier this year, while participating in the Oklahoma Intercollegiate Legislature (O.I.L.) Senate Competition, I introduced a bill to shift Oklahoma’s election system from closed primaries to open primaries. The bill roughly mirrors the real-life proposal brought forward by a new statewide ballot initiative, State Question 835, which would end partisan primaries and combine every candidate on one primary ballot which every voter, regardless of party, can vote on. The top two vote-getters would then move onto a general election. My goal was simple: to shine a light on our state’s dismal voter turnout and propose a solution.
The O.I.L. competition brought together college students from diverse political backgrounds across Oklahoma. These young leaders, regardless of their political affiliation, recognized the flaws in our current system and embraced the proposed change. My bill passed both chambers of the competition with strong support, highlighting the broad appeal of this reform.
Why did it resonate? Because the realities of our political system are shocking. Last year, 86% of Oklahoma’s federal, state, and county offices had either no meaningful general election or were uncontested. Think about that. In the vast majority of our elections, the outcome was effectively decided in the primary, where only registered party members could vote. These elections generally have voter participation of 10 to 20 percent, at most. That means this small percentage of voters is electing 86% of our elected officials; we effectively have a system of minority rule.
Furthermore, the system is counterintuitive in that it forces every voter to choose which elections to disenfranchise themselves from. Consider Stillwater: a liberal college town in deeply conservative Payne County. The current primary system forces voters in Stillwater into an impossible position. For the foreseeable future, they can either participate in Democratic primary elections, where they can cast a meaningful vote for state representative in a race that will almost certainly be won by a Democrat (either outright in a Democrat primary or in a general election landslide). Or they can choose to vote in the GOP primary and cast a meaningful vote for county commissioner, where a Republican is almost guaranteed to win (again, in a landslide or unopposed). Either way, they are disenfranchised from one election or the other. They cannot cast a meaningful vote for both offices.
An open primary system, as proposed by both SQ835 and my model legislation, solves this issue as well as several others. First, an open primary ensures that the best candidates—those who appeal to the widest range of voters—move forward. Instead of pandering to a narrow party base, candidates would need to consider the perspectives of all Oklahomans.
Second, it addresses the problem of uncontested races by making elections competitive again.
Third, it eliminates the frustrating dilemma faced by Stillwater voters (and many others across the state) who currently must choose which election they will have a say in.
This isn’t a partisan issue; it’s a representation issue. How can we claim our elected officials represent the will of the people when such a large portion of voters are excluded from the process? We can’t. By moving to an open primary system, we give every Oklahoman a voice in every election.
Our state has immense potential, but we’re currently ranked dead last in voter turnout. This is unacceptable. State Question 835 is a common-sense reform that will make our elections more inclusive, competitive, and representative of what the people truly want.
As someone who believes in the power of democracy and the importance of every voice being heard, I urge Oklahomans to vote Yes on SQ 835. It’s time to move our state forward and make sure every voter can participate in shaping our future. Let’s ensure that Oklahoma’s government reflects the will of all its people.