By Ron McWhirter

The decision by all of Oklahoma’s political parties to not allow independents to vote in their primary elections has renewed the debate over independent voters participating in political party primary elections. The debate was already underway because of the effort to collect signatures to place State Question 836 on the ballot – which would create a “jungle primary” open to all voters.

Oklahoma Democrats have allowed independents to participate in their primary elections since 2016, but in November they missed the statutory deadline to allow the practice to continue for elections in 2026 and 2027. While Democratic Party leaders likely missed the notification deadline due to incompetence, some allege it was secretly done to help the effort to collect signatures for State Question 836. Signatures are due on January 26, and as I wrote this it was not clear if the collection of signatures would be successful. Currently in Oklahoma, 172,993 valid signatures are required for initiatives such as State Question 836 that would make a constitutional change. Even if supporters turn in what they think is enough, the signatures must go through the verification process to see if they are valid.

Oklahoma has 2.4 million voters, of which 489,825 are independents. Registered Republicans outnumbered Democrats in Oklahoma for the first time in 2015, when the statistics showed Republicans with 43.6% of registrants and Democrats with 43.5%. Democrats have been in free fall since then, while Republican registration has continued to grow. Today, registered Republicans make up 53.31% of Oklahoma’s registered voters, while Democrats make up just 25.33% of the state’s registration. Independents represent the third largest group of registered voters in the state, with 20.39% of voter registration. Libertarians consist of less than one percent of the state’s registration at 0.97 percent. Independents may soon become the state’s second-largest voting bloc, surpassing the Democrats.

Independents say they are left out of the political process, because they are excluded from the primary elections.

In Oklahoma, you do not actually register as an Independent. There is not a recognized Independent Party. When registering to vote, an Oklahoman may affiliate with one of the three recognized political parties, or they may register as No Party (independent). If you register in a political party recognized in Oklahoma, you may vote only for that party’s candidates in primary elections. If you register No Party (independent) you cannot vote in primary elections unless a recognized party authorizes independent voters to participate in its primaries.

With Oklahoma’s closed primary system, the primary elections serve as the qualifying rounds before the main event, the general election in November. Candidates within the same party compete against each other, and the winner becomes that party’s official nominee for a specific office. This system ensures that only dedicated party members choose that party’s nominees.

The most critical function a party undertakes is selecting its nominee. From that perspective, forcing a party to allow non-members – either independents or members of another party – to participate in choosing its nominee violates this associational right. A political party is a closed association of voters who gather together and represent the policy preferences of the people who decide to be part of it. Allowing outsiders to vote adulterates their candidate-selection process and dilutes the collective voice of actual party members.

Closed primaries create incentives for voters to officially join a party and become committed members. This builds party loyalty and strengthens party organization from the ground up. This is crucial for winning elections and advancing the goals of the party.

Allowing unaffiliated voters or members of other parties to participate can lead to the nomination of candidates who may not align with the party’s core beliefs. This dilutes the party’s message and can disappoint its most dedicated members.

The Oklahoma GOP has never opened its primaries to independent voters, and that stance isn’t changing. The party intentionally keeps their primaries closed – not by missing a deadline. After the recent flap over the Democrats missing the deadline to open their primaries, Oklahoma Republican Party chair Charity Linch issued a statement saying primaries should be reserved exclusively for party members, “The whole purpose of the primary is so that the parties can pick their best candidate going forward. If you’re going to have someone from a different party interfere with another party’s elections, that’s election tampering.”

This is a major practical concern driving support for closed systems – the fear of “crossover voting” or “party raiding.” This occurs when voters from one party strategically vote in the other party’s primary to nominate the weakest possible opponent. The goal isn’t to support a candidate they genuinely like, but to choose someone their own party’s candidate can most easily defeat in the general election.

“Operation Chaos” in 2008 provides a notable example. I was an avid listener to the late conservative radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh. I vividly remember the presidential primary elections in 2008 and Limbaugh encouraging Republicans to vote for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary – to prolong her nomination battle with Barack Obama and weaken the eventual nominee. It was not clear if Rush was serious, or just making a point. But it shows what can happen, either overtly or covertly.

Beyond preventing sabotage, closed primaries help maintain a party’s ideological identity. The purpose of a primary is to select the candidate who best represents the party’s platform, values, and principles.

Recent moves to open primaries – through a party decision or a proposed constitutional amendment – creates competing forecasts of the result. Proponents argue this will move candidates toward the center and increase participation.

A central hope of many primary reformers is that more inclusive systems will combat political polarization. The theory suggests that open primaries, by bringing moderate and independent voters into the process, will produce more moderate elected officials.

Available analyses do characterize independents as more moderate. That is perhaps due to the fact that they do not agree with the philosophy of any of the recognized parties. Or, more likely, it is because they have not endeavored to study history and government to determine the best political philosophy, and therefore are not able to choose a party. Whatever the reason, independent voters are often easily swayed by political advertising and social media.

And research does show that more inclusive primary systems lead to higher voter turnout. When states open their primaries to unaffiliated voters, voter participation does increase. But this is a self-fulfilling prophecy, because if you allow independents to vote in primaries, many will vote. But high voter turnout is not necessarily a good thing. I do not want voters who have not developed a coherent political philosophy and have not studied the candidates, to vote. Most Communist countries boast about high voter participation, but does that mean anything?

The worst election system is what is being proposed in Oklahoma with State Question 836. This would be a free for all open primary system. It is one thing to allow a party to decide to open their primary elections to independents. That is up to them. But throwing the candidates of all parties into the same primary election and letting not just independents – but members of all parties – vote for any candidate is a chaotic system. While the proponents of State Question 836 call it an “Open Primary,” I and others call it a “jungle primary.” That is because it is like different species of animals being thrown into a jungle and they are vying for survival.

If you don’t want to be a member of a certain political party, why should you get to decide who is nominated as their candidate? If you want to vote in primaries you can pick a party that shares your political philosophy and get involved.

If Oklahoma independents wish to vote in the primary elections this year, they can change their registration to one of the three recognized parties and vote in that party’s primaries. Voters who would like to change their party affiliation can do so before April 1, 2026. State law prohibits party affiliation changes April 1 through August 31 of even-numbered years. Party changes submitted during the closed period will be processed on September 1, 2026.