State Question 836 Petition Drive Falls Short of Ballot

State Question 836 Petition Drive Falls Short

The State Question 836 petition drive has fallen short of the number of signatures required to place the proposal before Oklahoma voters.

Supporters of the measure were attempting to gather enough signatures to put the issue of an open primary system in Oklahoma on a future statewide ballot. The proposal would have allowed all registered voters to participate in primary elections regardless of party affiliation.

However, the effort ultimately came up short after signature verification by state officials.

Signature Count Fails to Meet Requirement

Backers of the State Question 836 petition drive needed to collect at least 172,000 valid signatures to qualify the measure for a statewide vote.

Supporters reported collecting more than 200,000 signatures, but the Oklahoma Secretary of State’s Office determined that nearly 30,000 signatures were not valid during the verification process.

Because the campaign did not reach the required threshold of valid signatures, the proposal will not move forward to the ballot at this time.

Open Primary Proposal Would Change Elections

The proposed measure would have created an open primary election system, allowing voters to choose among all candidates regardless of party affiliation during the primary election.

Under the proposal, the top two vote-getters would have advanced to the general election regardless of political party.

Supporters argued that such a system could increase voter participation and allow independent voters to take part in primary elections.

Supporters Plan Another Attempt

Despite the setback, supporters of the State Question 836 petition drive say they plan to pursue the issue again.

Advocates say they intend to regroup and potentially launch another petition effort in the future in hopes of eventually placing the proposal before Oklahoma voters.

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