Small: Little logic to open primaries

Little logic to open primaries

By Jonathan Small

Backers of an “open primary” system in Oklahoma claim that our current election system is fatally flawed and would be better if it looked more like California’s system.

That alone is a clue the proposed system is no panacea.

Since 2010, California voters have been subjected to a “top two” primary system. All candidates from all parties are placed on a single primary ballot, sometimes called a “jungle primary,” and all voters—Democrats, Republicans, third-party and independents—can cast ballots in the primary for any candidate. The top two finishers then proceed to the general election.

In Oklahoma, the system is different. In Republican primaries, only registered Republicans may participate, while in Democratic primaries, only registered Democrats and independents may participate. (The Democratic Party opted to allow independents in their primaries several years ago.)

The winner of each party’s primary then proceeds to the Oklahoma general election ballot, while independent candidates proceed directly to the general.

Now a group calling itself Oklahoma United argues we need to junk our current primary election system and instead adopt the California-style “top two” election.

Oklahoma United argues closed primaries are “particularly unfair to independents,” who may be “completely disenfranchised or forced to join a political party.”

Yet, if one is a registered independent, you have proactively chosen not to participate in a party primary process. You are not being stripped of the right to vote in a primary. Furthermore, you can re-register with the party with which you find yourself the most aligned if voting in a primary is important to you. And you get to vote in the general election, regardless of party registration.

California’s outcomes highlight the problems created by the “top two” primary.

In several instances, the top-two system has meant California voters had a choice of a Democrat, or another Democrat, when they voted in the November general election.

In one California state senate seat in 2022, the top-two system resulted in two Democratic candidates advancing to the general election in a Republican-leaning district because the GOP vote was split among several candidates in the primary. Thus, a supposedly less-partisan system produced a partisan outcome well out-of-line with voter preferences.

Similar outcomes could occur in Oklahoma, particularly in areas where one party has a strong registration advantage. Will Democrats who dislike seeing Republicans typically win in state races be happier if their selection is limited only to two Republicans in November?

Oklahoma’s current system requires candidates to appeal to both their party base (in primaries) and the broader electorate (in the general). It’s reasonable to suspect that those individuals pushing the top-two system are driven less by a desire for civic improvement than disappointment that their favored candidates lack the appeal required to win Oklahoma elections. 

Jonathan Small serves as president of the Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs.