MAPS: Oklahoma voter registration changes, 2021 to 2022

I'm well overdue on updating my Voter Registration Maps series, but I finally got it all done. These statistics used in these graphics are sourced from the annual January 15th report from the State Election Board.

Be sure to check out my post with one more graphic, 70 to 7: Oklahoma Dems now lead voter registration in just SEVEN counties, which was published in February.

The top map shows the leading political party by county, whether holding a plurality or an outright majority of registered voters. The blue color has rapidly melted over the past few years, and Democrats are now down to a single county where they hold a majority of voters (Coal County), and just six where they have slim pluralities. Several of these will likely change to GOP pluralities this year.

• Cherokee County (6.05% lead)
• Harmon County (2.25% lead)
• Latimer County (7.05% lead)
• McIntosh County (5.74% lead)
• Muskogee County (0.62% lead)
• Pushmataha County (2.65% lead)

The GOP has plurality leads in 25 counties, and outright majorities in the remaining 45 counties. Since last January, the Democrats have gone from two majority counties to one, and 15 plurality counties to 6.

For the first time since 2018, the OKGOP had positive momentum in all 77 counties. From 2019 to 2021, Oklahoma County had a very slight Democratic trend (+0.53%, +0.06%, and +0.89%, respectively), and Tulsa County had slimmer blue swings in 2019 and 2021. Not so this time.

The registration swing is obviously heaviest in the areas that still have more registered Democrats, with southeast and southern Oklahoma in particular continuing rapid shifting to the GOP.

Republicans did slide in raw percentage in five counties, but those losses were offset by steeper Democratic declines. As I mention later down this post, Independents did outpace Republicans both overall statewide, and in 19 counties.

Republicans are at an all-time high, with 50.6% of registered voters statewide.

Democrats lost ground in every single county. In five metro counties, those losses were between 0.72% and 1%, but everywhere else is was more significant.

Democrats are at an all-time low in registration, with just 31.41% of voters statewide.

Independents, for some reason, made gains in every county except way out in the panhandle in Cimarron, where they dropped by 0.75% of registered voters (9.55% to 8.8%). 

Independents did outpace Republicans in growth, increasing from 16.25% of registered voters to 17.18% (+0.924%). In 19 counties, Independent growth beat Republican growth (led by 1.61% in Oklahoma County and 1.63% in Canadian County, for example).

19.2% of registered voters in Oklahoma are now Independent.

Libertarians made slight gains in every county, led by Texas (+0.26%) and Noble (+0.22%). They comprise 0.811% of registered voters statewide, up from 0.692%.