Democrats to keep primaries open to independents

Oklahoma Democrats will keep their primary elections open to independent voters.

The party first opened its primaries to independents in 2015 to make its elections more inclusive and to maintain a relationship with those who have either left the party or haven’t yet picked sides.

The decision came as the number of Democrats in Oklahoma shrank to record low levels.

As of January, only 852,447 people were registered with the Democratic Party in Oklahoma, compared with 989,358 Republicans.

According to the Oklahoma State Election Board, there were 316,109 independents. Oklahoma law prevents independents from voting in a party’s primary election unless that party allows them access.

In a statement, Democratic Party Chair Anna Langthorn wrote that every voter deserves a voice.

“Independent voters continue to be the fastest-growing group of voters in our country and Oklahoma,” she said. “Many independents across the state share our Democratic values. As the population of registered independents grows in Oklahoma, and across the country, the (party) strives to keep them engaged in the Democratic process.

In an interview Wednesday, Langthorn said not enough time has passed to see whether the original decision to open primaries had a tangible, or measurable, result.

“I think it’s too soon to see what it will mean for election results,” she said.

“There are a lot of independents who weren’t aware of the process.”

Some independents were even turned away at the polls if they didn’t specifically ask for a Democratic ballot, she said.

As the party gears up for the 2018 election season, Langthorn said independents will be included in the party’s outreach plan.

“We all know there is a lot more work to do to engage independent voters in our primaries,” she said.

“Independent voters will be wrapped into our universe of ‘get out the vote’ and particularly, our vote by mail program.”

The party’s vote by mail program will target people who don’t regularly cast ballots, known as low-turnout voters. The program will among other things, remind them they can request and cast ballots by mail.