Oklahoma voters go to the polls Tuesday to pick favorites for elected offices and determine the fate of a proposal to hike the minimum wage.
Voters of all political parties will have State Question 832 on their ballots. The polarizing statewide measure proposes raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2029. The ballot will also include local, statewide and federal primary races that are specific to each party. Voting locations will open Tuesday at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. For a list of polling locations, acceptable forms of identification and a sample ballot, head to the Oklahoma Voter Portal.
For a list of the candidates for all 84 statewide and federal races, see our voter guide.
The elections include Republicans and Democrats vying for their party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate and House, governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, state superintendent and state treasurer.
Republicans and Democrats also will vote on candidates for the Oklahoma labor, insurance and corporation commissions. Voters will decide party nominees for legislative races, as well.
What’s on the ballot? State Question 832 proposes raising the current minimum wage, $7.25 per hour, incrementally over the next few years until it hits $15 per hour in 2029. If passed, the minimum wage would adjust with inflation starting in 2030 based on a federal cost of living metric.
Supporters of the ballot measure argue this would help Oklahomans afford food, rent and other goods in the face of rising prices. Opponents say it will hurt the economy by adding costs to employers, who would pass those down to consumers.
Voters will cast ballots for their party’s candidates for the U.S. Senate. The vacant seat was occupied by Markwayne Mullin, whom President Donald Trump appointed in March as Department of Homeland Security secretary.
Republicans competing in the Senate race include Sean Buckner, Gary Ty England, Nick Hankins, U.S. Rep. Kevin Hern and Brian Ragain.
R.O. Joe Cassity Jr., Troy W. Green, Jim Priest, N’Kiyla Jasmine Thomas and Ervin Stone Yen are the Democrats running for the position.
All U.S. House districts are up for grabs this year. Districts 1-4 have a Republican primary race. Democrats will have primary candidates to choose from in districts 2-5.
Republicans running to be the party’s candidate for governor include Attorney General Gentner Drummond, former state Public Safety Secretary Chip Keating, former state Sen. Mike Mazzei, former House Speaker Charles McCall, former state Sen. Jake Merrick, Leisa Mitchell Haynes, Kenneth Sturgell and Calup Anthony Taylor.
Democratic candidates running for governor are former Sen. Connie Johnson, House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson and Arya Azma, who will be listed on the ballot as “Arya.”
For lieutenant governor, Republicans H. Victor Flores, Rep. Brian Hill, Rep. Justin “J.J.” Humphrey, state Chief Operating Officer David Ostrowe, former House Speaker T.W. Shannon and Sen. Darrell Weaver are running. The Republican nominee will face Democrat Kelly Forbes in the Nov. 3 General Election.
The Republicans competing for attorney general are former state Rep. Jon Echols and Secretary of Energy and Environment Jeff Starling. The winner will face Democrat Nick Coffey.
The race for state treasurer pits incumbent Republican Treasurer Todd Russ against state Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd, who is termed out in her current post. The winner will face Libertarian Kiefer Perry in November.
Jennettie Marshall and Craig McVay are the Democrats competing for state superintendent. Republicans running for the position include John Cox, William E. Crozier, Robert Franklin, Rep. Toni Hasenbeck, Debra A. Herlihy, Sen. Adam Pugh and James Taylor.
The Republicans running for labor commissioner are Lisa Janloo, Rep. John Pfeiffer, Keith Swinton and Rep. Kevin West. The primary winner will face Democrat Kevin Dawson and Libertarian Mike Hall in the Nov. 3 General Election.
Current Insurance Commissioner Glen Mulready is term limited. Republicans Chris Merideth, Marty L. Quinn, Greta Shuler and Bob Sullivan are running for the position. The winner will compete against Democrat Craig McIntyre.
Donald Anthony Clytus, Rhonda Eastman and Harold D. Spradling are running for the Democratic nomination for corporation commissioner. Rep. Brad Boles and Justin Hornback are the Republicans competing for the position.
In Tuesday’s primary, candidates must receive 50% plus one vote to win. If that threshold is not attained, the top two vote getters will face off in an Aug. 25 runoff.
Oklahoma law requires voter identification to vote.
Identification must be issued by the federal government, the state or a federally recognized tribe and include the voter’s name, photograph and an expiration date that is later than the election for which the person is seeking to cast a ballot. Documents that meet those requirements include an Oklahoma driver license, Oklahoma identification card, U.S. passport and U.S. military identification. The name on the identification must match the one in the precinct registry. Voters can also show their voter identification card, even though it does not contain a picture.
In June 2018, the last time the governor’s race didn’t include an incumbent, there were 851,658 votes cast in the gubernatorial primary elections. Just over 91% of those votes were cast on Election Day.
In June 2022, when the governor’s seat was last on the ballot, there were 527,678 total votes cast in the primary election.
The last time a state question was on the June primary ballot was in 2020. The measure, which saw almost 675,000 total votes, expanded the state’s Medicaid program.
As of May, there are over 2.4 million registered voters in Oklahoma, according to the state Election Board. Just over half are registered Republicans, a quarter are Democrats and a fifth are independents. Almost 1% of Oklahoma voters are Libertarians.
Oklahoma Voice is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Oklahoma Voice maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Janelle Stecklein for questions: info@oklahomavoice.com.