Open primary advocates have a reached a red letter day. Today they’re submitting to the government signatures they’ve collected in support of a state question.
Nonprofit Oklahoma United needs 173,000 verified signatures to advance a state question about open primaries to voters. Founder Margaret Kobos says the group surpassed that number in raw signatures but are anticipating the state will raise questions.
“We expect challenges with every single thing we do. So, yes, yes, we’re definitely expecting challenges. We have that baked into our process and our timeline,” said Kobos.
Supporters like Kobos say open primaries will help less extreme candidates get elected because it will be easier to vote across the aisle. Detractors say moderation isn’t guaranteed and a minority party can dominate if votes on the other side are split between many candidates.
