State Question 835 would amend the state constitution to let all registered voters cast ballots in a primary election for the candidates they want, regardless of party or lack thereof.
Margaret Kobos leads Oklahoma United, a nonpartisan nonprofit pushing for open primaries in the state. At an Oklahoma History Center event announcing the filing of the ballot initiative, Kobos explained open primaries would mean the voting process staying mostly the same.
Right now, voters registered as Democrats, Republicans and Libertarians all vote in primary elections that correspond with their party, so they only see candidates of that party. Democratic primaries are an exception because the party allows independents to vote in its primaries. If the proposed constitutional change were to occur, all voters, including those registered as independents, would see identical ballots showing candidates from every party at every primary.
The initiative would do away with runoff elections completely, meaning the top two winners of the initial primary would show up in that year’s general election.
Kobos said folks would walk into their voting location, see the poll workers and hand them their I.D. cards, just like normal.
Actual changes would be more subtle.
“We no longer have to tell anyone how we are registered,” Kobos said. “There is one table, one voter list, one ballot. All candidates are listed with their party affiliations. We vote for the person we think is best for the job.”
That matters, in part, because independents represent about a fifth of Oklahoma’s registered voters, and are always left out of elections where candidates are only Republicans or Democrats. Libertarians, who represent less than a percent of Oklahoma voters, suffer the same fate.
While Kobos’ nonprofit is helping lead the charge in organizing for the initiative, the state question was filed by three individuals:
- Anthony Stobbe, an Edmond resident, registered independent and veteran of the United States Coast Guard.
- Yvonne Galvan, an Oklahoma City resident working in the nonprofit sector and registered Democrat.
- Kenneth Stetter, a retired pediatrician from Tulsa and registered Republican.
The official campaign will eventually register with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission as “Vote Yes 835.”
Organizers will need more than 172,993 signatures affirming voters want to see the question on the 2026 General Election ballot, then follow legal reviews and public protest periods.
And while State Question 835 saw many supporters at the Tuesday event, not everyone is behind the initiative.
In an X post, Republican Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell called the push for open primaries an attempt to dilute the vote of Republican voters in the state.
“Oklahoma is a conservative state, and Republicans hold all the statewide and federally elected positions for a simple reason: our values represent the will of our state’s voters” Pinnell said. “I would hope the current primary structure would incentivize independents and conservative Democrats to register as Republicans and help choose our Party’s nominees.”
Chris Powell is the chairman of the Oklahoma Libertarian Party. He ran for Pinnell’s office in 2022 and now serves as the Ward 1 Council Member for the City of Bethany in the OKC metro.
He said what Oklahoma United and supporters of State Question 835 are pushing for is a “California style, top-two” primary system that doesn’t involve more voters. It potentially even excludes them.
“Sixteen states have an open primary where a voter can go in and they can say, I want this party's ballot or that party's ballot,” Powell said. “This puts everybody on the same ballot in the primary, which is a problem, because regardless of what you do, you're always going to have a smaller number of voters participating in the primary.”
Instead, Powell said energy should be spent on having the most choices for voters when most are likely to cast ballots.
“I'm probably not going to be able to vote, ever vote for any under this system,” he said. “So you know, let's have voter choice, but let's have it on the general election when the most people go to vote.”
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