Conservative leaders, orgs push back against California-style 'jungle primary' proposal

Unable to win elections in Oklahoma the old-fashioned way, with... you know... votes, liberals are now attempting to change the game by messing with the way Oklahoma elections work.

Under the guise of "increasing voter participation", left-wingers of both parties (including one has-been and one current liberal Republican elected officials) announced an initiative petition today for a state question that would switch Oklahoma to the same sort of "top two" jungle primary system used in California that often cuts Republican candidates completely out of the general election.

Small: Little logic to open primaries

Little logic to open primaries

By Jonathan Small

Backers of an “open primary” system in Oklahoma claim that our current election system is fatally flawed and would be better if it looked more like California’s system.

That alone is a clue the proposed system is no panacea.

Since 2010, California voters have been subjected to a “top two” primary system. All candidates from all parties are placed on a single primary ballot, sometimes called a “jungle primary,” and all voters—Democrats, Republicans, third-party and independents—can cast ballots in the primary for any candidate. The top two finishers then proceed to the general election.

OK Dems open '24 primary to Independents; GOP and Libertarians keep closed primaries

Independents Eligible to Vote in 2024 Democratic Primary Elections

(Oklahoma City, Dec. 18th) – State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax announced today that he has been notified by the Oklahoma Democratic Party that it will allow Independents to vote in its primaries and runoff primaries during the 2024-2025 election years. Meanwhile, the Oklahoma Republican Party notified the Secretary that it will keep its primaries closed to Independent voters. The Libertarian Party did not formally send a notification; therefore, by default, the Libertarian Party primaries will remain closed as designated by state law. More information about political parties is available on the State Election Board website.

2020: OK Dems open primaries to Independents, OKGOP and Libertarians to stay closed

Political Parties Notify Election Board Secretary About ‘Open’ Primaries

(Oklahoma City) – Every odd-numbered year, recognized political parties in Oklahoma are required to notify the Secretary of the State Election Board whether or not the party will allow registered Independents to vote in its primary elections.

State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax announced today that he has been notified by the Oklahoma Democratic Party that it will allow Independents to vote in its primaries in 2020-2021.

The Oklahoma Republican Party and Oklahoma Libertarian Party have notified Secretary Ziriax that they will close their primaries to Independent voters.

“This means, there is no change for unaffiliated voters in 2020. As has been the case for the past two years, Independent voters may continue to vote in Democratic Party primaries, but not in Republican or Libertarian primaries,” Ziriax said.

Oklahoma is a closed primary state, meaning only registered voters affiliated with a recognized political party may vote in that party’s primary elections. However, state law gives recognized parties the option to open its primaries to registered Independents by notifying the Secretary of the State Election Board between November 1 and November 30 prior to the election year. The Democratic Party notified the Election Board of its decision before the deadline, which extended the deadline to December 15 for the other recognized parties.

Voters can confirm their party affiliation or make changes to their voter registration online using the OK Voter Portal at: elections.ok.gov/OVP.

Secretary Ziriax reminded voters that state law prohibits changes in party affiliation from April 1 through August 31 of even-numbered years. Party changes submitted during this time period are processed and activated on September 1.

For more information on elections in Oklahoma, visit our website at: elections.ok.gov.

Oklahoma Libertarian Party moves to Closed Primary

REGISTERED LIBERTARIANS TO CHOOSE PARTY CANDIDATES

On Saturday September 7th, during a special meeting of the Executive Committee, the Libertarian Party of Oklahoma voted to allow only registered Libertarians to select the party's candidates. All Libertarians currently registered as Independent should re-register in order to vote in the party primaries.

As of today, there are three gubernatorial candidates competing in the Libertarian primary to be held on June 26, 2018 with a runoff election on August 28, 2018. Indications predict primaries necessary for other races as well. All registered voters will be able to vote for the winning Libertarian candidates during the general election, on November 6, 2018.

Over the past several months, party members have been weighing the merits of both the open primary and closed primary options. Through the sponsorship of panel discussions and education events, the party has used participation in the decision making process as a positive way of engaging the community and energizing membership.

Immediately after the vote, party leaders expressed a renewed commitment to advancing party objectives and continuing to take advantage of the tremendous positive momentum currently being experienced.

“Decisions like this and others are welcome indications of growth for us. Going forward we will concentrate on the recruitment of candidates and making sure Oklahomans know we’re here. These are exciting times. There is another choice when it comes to the political direction of Oklahoma’s future,” said Libertarian Party Chair, Tina Kelly

In addition to the three gubernatorial candidates running as Libertarians, Rex Lawhorn, Joe Maldonado and Chris Powell, there are eight candidates running in down ticket races. Included in that number is Traci Baker, a Libertarian and the youngest candidate to run for a non-partisan Norman City Council seat. The party is excited by this initial interest and expects many more candidates to declare before the arrival of the 2018 filing dates.

The party urges anyone interested in learning more or running for an office to contact them via their website OKLP.org.

          *          *          *          *          *

Blogger's note: the OKLP had an 'open' primary last year, allowing registered Independents to vote as well as registered Libertarians. They were the only party to have a statewide primary, as two Libertarians filed to run against incumbent U.S. Senator James Lankford (R). They did so in a  recruitment/growth bid for the newly-recognized party, with one candidate (Robert Murphy) endorsing the other (Dax Ewbank) as they felt Ewbank, a 2014 GOP gubernatorial candidate, would have a better shot due to having been on a statewide ballot before.

However, Murphy ended handily defeating Ewbank, putting the "wrong" candidate in as nominee, in large part because more Independents voted in the OKLP primary than Libertarians. This seems to have prompted the OKLP's decision to close their primary.

Chris Powell, the sole Libertarian candidate for county office in 2016, argued earlier this year against closing the OKLP primary in a post here.