TULSA, Okla. — The Oklahoma Supreme Court gave the go-ahead for a petition seeking a state question to go forward Sept. 16.
Initiative Petition 448 is aimed at establishing an open primary system in the state. This would mean all candidates for a covered office would be on the same primary ballot with no party separation, and any voter could vote for any candidate. The top two candidates would then go to the general election, regardless of party affiliation.
WATCH: OPEN PRIMARIES? Petition for State Question approved by Okla. Supreme Court
Opponents of the petition said the way it was written was misleading, it violated the First Amendment, and made other arguments.
The court ruled 8-0 in favor of the petition, meaning organizers can start gathering signatures as soon as in October (pending a decision from the Oklahoma Secretary of State) in hopes of putting the question on a ballot in late 2026.
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"Municipal elections, like mayoral elections in Oklahoma, are done in the same way that State Question 836 proposes. So it's not an unfamiliar system," Tony Stobbe said. Stobbe is an advocate on behalf of the SQ836 campaign.
"I'm an independent, so I'm not a Republican or a Democrat. And in Oklahoma, that means I don't get to vote in the primary, which my tax dollars pay for," he said.
"Open primaries can be disastrous. (Regarding) consequences of open primaries, look at California," Tulsa County GOP chair Melissa Myers told 2 News. “Where’s my voice as a Republican to be able to vote? So, we have a two-party system from our founding fathers, and that’s the Democrats and the Republicans. And we also have Independents in there, but to say we don’t have a voice, that’s not true.”
Tulsa County Democratic Party praised the court's ruling, however, and its chair declared support for SQ836 in a statement sent to 2 News:
"We support State Question 836 because people matter more than politics. Every voter deserves a fair shot at choosing the candidate they believe in — not be shut out because of their party. If you believe in your candidate, giving more people the chance to vote for them isn’t a threat. Open primaries give everyone a voice. It’s that simple."
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