OKLAHOMA CITY – A proposal to allow voters of all political persuasions to decide which nominee should be elected to a public office when candidates from only one political party file for that office was rejected Tuesday on a party-line vote.
House Bill 1844 by state Rep. Andy Fugate, D-Oklahoma City, proposed that:
• If only two candidates file for a public office, and both nominees are from the same political party, the candidates would forego a primary and advance to the general election ballot.
• If more than two candidates file for a public office, and all of the nominees are from the same political party, the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes in the primary election would advance to the general election ballot, regardless of whether one of the candidates received a majority of the votes cast in the primary.
An election Tuesday in Tulsa County illustrates why his measure is needed, Fugate said. In the
County Treasurer’s race, more than half of the voters in the county “will not be allowed to vote,” he said, because only candidates from the Republican Party filed for the office and party primaries are closed to all but their own members.
Tulsa County had 376,999 registered voters as of January 15, according to the State Election Board. Republicans constituted 49.2% of them; Democrats, 32.67%; Independents, 17.35%; and Libertarians, 0.75%.
When voters of just one political party are allowed to elect an official, the public at large is deprived of an opportunity “to have their voice heard,” Fugate asserted. The State Election Board told him his proposal would cost between $250,000 and $500,000 to implement, Fugate said.
HB 1844 was spurned 6-2 by the House Committee on Elections and Ethics.
The only “aye” votes were cast by Reps. Cyndi Mun- son, D-Oklahoma City, and Merleyn Bell, D-Norman. Opposing the measure were Committee Chairman Jim Olsen, R-Roland; Vice Chairman Max Wolf ley, R-Oklahoma City; and Reps. Rande Worthen, R-Lawton; Jim Grego, R-Wilburton; Anthony Moore, R-Clinton; and David Smith, R-Arpelar.
Hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans are disenfranchised every two years because of Oklahoma’s election laws.
Last year, three state Senators were elected in the primary, and one in the runoff election, because only Republicans filed for those seats.
Similarly, 16 Republicans and one Democrat were elected to state House seats in the primary, and two other Republicans were elected in the runoff primary, because only candidates from those political parties filed for those offices.
The issue is significant because each of the 101 state House members represents more than 37,100 Oklahomans, and each of the 48 state Senators represents more than 78,100 Oklahomans. When new legislative district lines are drawn this year, each House member will represent approximately 39,000 Oklahomans, and each Senator will represent an estimated 82,000 Oklahomans.