OKLAHOMA CITY – A little more than 5,000 Oklahoma voters switched their political party affiliation during the first five weeks of this year, State Election Board records indicate. The GOP was the biggest loser among those defectors, and Independents were the big winner.
From January 1 through February 5, the GOP experienced a net loss of 2,169 voters. During that period, records show, 3,225 Republicans abandoned the GOP and re-registered as Democrats (707), Independents (2,329) and Libertarians (189). During the same time frame, Republicans picked up 1,056 voters who switched their registration from Democrat (765), Independent (278) and Libertarian (13).
During that five-week period the Democratic Party lost 1,226 voters to the GOP (765), Independents (432) and Libertarians (29), but added 900 voters (707 Republicans, 181 Independents and 12 Libertarians), for a net loss of 326.
Independents recorded a net gain of 2,306 voters during those five weeks. They lost 493 voters (181 switched to the Democratic Party, 278 jumped to the Republican Party, and 34 became Libertarians) but gained 2,799 (including 2,329 Republicans, 432 Democrats and 38 Libertarians).
Libertarians realized a net gain of 189 voters. They lost 63 to the Democratic Party (12), the Republican Party (13) and to the Independents (38), but added 252 (including 189 Republicans, 29 Democrats and 34 Independents).
The statistics on voter re-registration were compiled by Tulsan Harold Skip Morgan, a retired database professional who says he has been “performing weekly downloads from the State Election Board for about four years, since I became a precinct officer.”
Morgan is the administrator of OK Votes, which reports it is “building a permanent grassroots network, neighborhood by neighborhood; using data-driven evidence-based tactics to empower those willing to engage and turn out voters in their neighborhoods.”
His records are detailed and his research is meticulous. For example, by tracking voter ID numbers he is able to maintain separate records of voters who switch their party affiliation and voters who are newly registered.
Oklahoma had 2.27 million registered voters as of February 7, 2021, an increase of 11,748 from November 1, 2020, State Election Board records show. Republicans comprised 50.09% of the registered voters; Democrats, 32.89%; Independents, 16.32%; and Libertarians, 0.7%.