Republicans outpace Democrats in Oklahoma

Editor’s note: This report was updated Nov. 1.

STATE STATS

Voter makeup: As of January, Oklahoma had over 2 million registered voters, according to the State Election Board. Fifty-one percent of those are Republican, up from 48 percent in 2020. Democrats make up 28 percent of registered voters. Despite a fairly high number of independent voters (roughly 430,000), the state has remained reliably red when it comes to policy. Unborn babies have almost universal protection from abortion except for a few exceptions.

In Oklahoma, voters must declare a party affiliation in primaries but not general elections. The state has partially closed primaries, meaning parties can decide whether to allow unaffiliated voters to participate. The Democratic Party allowed unaffiliated voters to vote in the 2024 primary, and Republicans did not.

Voting: Residents of the Sooner State must register to vote either in person, by mail, or online at least 25 days before the election. At the polling stations, voters must present some form of photo identification such as a driver’s license or passport. Absentee voters must sign an affidavit before casting their provisional ballot, but they don’t need an excuse to get one. Requests for absentee ballots must be submitted at least 15 days before the election.

PRESIDENTIAL

Republicans have won all of the presidential races in Oklahoma since 1968. All seven of Oklahoma’s Electoral College votes went to former President Donald Trump in 2020. President Joe Biden garnered just 32 percent of voter support.

In this year’s primaries on May 5, 81 percent of Republicans voted for Trump. Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley pulled out of the race in March but still won nearly 16 percent of the vote. In the Democratic primary, Joe Biden earned 73 percent of the vote, with contenders such as Marianne Williamson and U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., taking the rest. After Biden dropped out of the race, all 36 Oklahoma delegates cast their votes for Vice President Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention in August.

Now that he’s up against Harris, Trump has a 16-point lead, according to SoonerPoll, a nonpartisan polling organization based in Oklahoma.

U.S. HOUSE

Republicans hold all five of Oklahoma’s U.S. House seats. For each of the congressional matchups, GOP candidates have at least three times as much campaign funding as their Democratic rivals. After a congressional redistricting process in 2022, the 5th District changed from being somewhat competitive to solidly Republican. Oklahoma waived the primaries for the 2nd and 5th districts since both parties had only one candidate in the running.

JUDICIAL ELECTIONS

Like Texas, Oklahoma has two courts of last resort, the Court of Criminal Appeals and the Supreme Court. When first appointed by the governor, the justices serve for one year. Then they must win a retention election to serve a six-year term.

Three of nine Supreme Court seats are up for retention election. James Edmondson, Yvonne Kauger, and Noma Gurich were all appointed by Democratic governors.

BALLOT MEASURES

• Oklahomans may initiate ballot measures, but the state legislature referred both constitutional amendments on this November’s ballot. Voters will decide whether to implement Public Infrastructure Districts (PIDs) as described in Senate Joint Resolution 16. If passed, the measure will allow property owners within municipalities to petition for city improvements like sidewalks, roads, and parks. “Oklahoma has a housing shortage across the state, and we know one of the most significant barriers to new homes is the need to build the necessary infrastructure to support them,” said Republican state Sen. John Haste, who helped draft the resolution. “PIDs will help our municipalities finance the infrastructure to handle our state’s growth.”

• Oklahoma is one of eight states with ballot measures to prevent noncitizens from voting. The state constitution stipulates that “every citizen” may vote, but it does not clarify whether noncitizens have the same privilege.

Dig deeper:

• Listen to Mary Reichard’s report on an Oklahoma board’s approval of a religious charter school and Josh Schumacher’s coverage of the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s ruling against it.

• Read Josh Schumacher’s analysis of why three Oklahomans are suing to identify as the opposite sex on their birth certificates.

• Listen to Leah Savas explain the state’s pro-life strategies.
• Jenny Rough interviews Supreme Court advocate Paul Clement about an Oklahoma death penalty case currently before the high court.
• Christina Grube covers a joint lawsuit against the Oklahoma Education Department over a new law requiring teachers to use Bibles in the classroom.

Visit the WORLD Election Center 2024 to follow our state-by-state coverage between now and November.