It seems Oklahoma voters will have their say on whether to open the state’s primary elections after a successful statewide campaign to round up supporters.
Volunteers of Oklahoma United, a nonpartisan grassroots nonprofit, submitted more than 200,000 signatures to the state earlier this week. The group had a Jan. 26 deadline to collect about 173,000 signatures to put State Question 836 on the November ballot.
“Every signature in those boxes came from face to face conversations with patriotic Oklahomans across the state,” said Margaret Kobos, founder of Oklahoma United.
SQ 836 would create a single top-two primary, sending the two primary candidates with the most votes — regardless of party — straight to the general election. It would also allow any registered voter to cast a ballot.
Currently, Oklahoma primaries are closed, meaning you must be registered Republican, Democrat or Libertarian — the state’s three recognized political parties — to participate in those primaries.
In the past, Democrats allowed independent voters to participate in their primaries, but that changed this year. According to the state Election Board, all primaries in 2026 and 2027 are fully closed because no recognized party filed notice allowing independents to participate.
Kobos believes that opening primaries gives more Oklahoma voters a chance to make their voices heard.
“These signers share serious concerns about our state,” said Kobos. “But (they) also hope that finally the people of Oklahoma will have a place at the table they pay for and (hold) officials accountable to every voter in every publicly-funded election. It is our profound privilege to carry their message to the secretary of state.”
The secretary of state’s office must still certify the signatures before SQ 836 officially lands on the ballot, which could take several weeks. If approved, the question will be decided by voters Nov. 3.
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