26th November 2024
By William C. Wertz
Former Oklahoma U.S. Rep. Mickey Edwards now teaches at Princeton University, so he wasn't at the Capitol when a group gathered recently to file a proposed change to the state constitution, State Question 835.
The proposal, if enough signatures are obtained to put it on the ballot, and if supported by the voters, would dramatically change the way Oklahomans cast their ballots in future elections. Approval of SQ 835 would create an open primary system under which all candidates for a particular office ― say governor ― would appear on a single ballot in June, regardless of their party affiliation. The top two vote-getters, irrespective of party, would compete in the November general election.
Supporters of this idea argue that it would reduce the political polarization we see today, with both the Democratic and Republican parties dominated by their most partisan and vocal members. They believe the change would give voters a choice between candidates who better represent their viewpoints on public policy issues ― which are often a moderate mixture of ideas from the left and the right.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Americans with Disability Act of 1990 are often cited as major steps forward for the nation that occurred only because Republican and Democratic lawmakers were willing to work together to iron out their differences and forge an agreement.
Today, the two parties don't seem to agree about much of anything.
In fact, Edwards and a growing number of others believe that the Republican and Democratic parties are not functioning in a way that helps the nation solve its problems ― the political parties are the problem.
"Voters don't want the extremes," Edwards said in an interview with The Oklahoman. "The overall public is not hardline partisan. What I've been advocating for a long time now is to just open up the process instead of letting the activist groups narrow the voters' options. It's a democracy, so let anybody who wants to run, run, and then let all of the voters choose which one they like."
Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt and Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell, former Republican Party chairman, were quick to say they opposed the proposal. “Open primaries are a hard no in Oklahoma," Stitt declared.
However, Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt, a former Republican state senator, endorsed the idea, noting that the system used to elect mayors in Oklahoma City allows all residents to vote.
“Our voters get to see all the candidates and our candidates have to face all voters,” Holt told the nonprofit news outlet Oklahoma Voice. “As a result, our leadership delivers unity and consensus outcomes that are clearly moving us forward.”
The Oklahoma Democratic Party allows independents, but not Republicans, to vote in its primaries. Republican primaries are for party members only.
In 2013, Edwards wrote a book called "The Parties Versus the People ― How to turn Republicans and Democrats into Americans."
"Imagine how you and your neighbors might approach solving some important problem in your community," Edwards wrote in the book. "The one thing you will probably not do is divide into separate partisan camps, with Republicans in one group and Democrats in another. There will probably be no attempt to choose task force leaders or remove members from the organization on the basis of membership in one or the other political club."
But, wrote Edwards, when the nation's elected leaders begin to consider how to prioritize spending on medical research or public education or roads and bridges, or decide whether or not to raise or lower taxes or become involved in an international conflict, "they begin by dividing up into rival camps."
As a result, "Compromise, an absolutely indispensable ingredient in a highly diverse nation of more than 320 million people, is seen as 'sell-out.' Rigid uniformity is praised."
Edwards noted that both James Madison and George Washington warned against political parties as "special interests" that might at some point put their own needs and goals above those of the general public. Open primaries, he believes, are the best way to give voters an opportunity to vote for candidates who haven't been hand-picked by hyper-partisan party leaders, candidates more likely to share their more moderate views and work collaboratively with others.
The fight to wrest control of the primary election process away from the parties will clearly not be easy. In the recent November election, according to an analysis by The Associated Press, the election reform movement lost almost everywhere it appeared on a statewide ballot.
In Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Oregon and South Dakota — a mixture of red, blue and purple states — voters rejected either ranked choice voting, open primaries or a combination of both.
One positive note may be the fact that the number of Oklahomans who register to vote as independents has more than doubled over the past two decades, from 225,000 in 2004 to more than 480,000 in 2024. Independents now make up more than 20% of the Oklahoma electorate vs. 10% in 2004.
William C. Wertz is deputy Viewpoints editor. You can reach him with comments and story ideas at wwertz@oklahoman.com.