Amy Regan puts an "I voted" sticker on her 5-year-old son, Jack, as they leave the Tulsa County Election Board after she cast her early vote on Monday. CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World
For the first time in Tulsa's history, a mayoral race with candidates from different parties could end five months before the general election if one receives a majority of Tuesday's nonpartisan primary vote.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. for Tulsa's first nonpartisan primary, with Mayor Dewey Bartlett, 66, and former City Councilor Bill Christiansen, 65, both Republicans, competing directly with former Mayor Kathy Taylor, 57, a Democrat - albeit without party affiliations attached to their names.
Barring a runaway win for one candidate, the top two vote getters likely will advance to the Nov. 12 general election.
Also on Tulsa ballots are a nonpartisan city auditor election and, for some voters, a Republican partisan primary for District 3 Tulsa County Commissioner.
The Tulsa County Election Board reported brisk early voting Friday and Monday, with 1,575 absentee ballots cast - 749 on Friday and 826 on Monday, when the pace reached about 83 per hour. The Election Board also received 2,853 mailed absentee ballots.
Election Board Secretary Patty Bryant said she is unsure what to expect Tuesday but that the strong absentee voting turnout might be a hint.
"It's just important that the citizens know that we've prepared for a large turnout and we've been very pleased with the number of voters that have showed up on Friday and Monday and expect the same thing Tuesday," she said.
Of the 198,894 residents who are eligible to vote Tuesday, 90,729 are Republicans, 83,356 are Democrats and 24,809 are independents.
The Election Board is hoping for turnout of 32,500 to 45,000, which would put the turnout rate at between 16.3 percent and 24.1 percent. Turnout in the city's previous three mayoral primaries has averaged 23.6 percent.
A 2011 City Charter amendment established the new nonpartisan system in which all candidates compete in the primary and all voters, including independents, can vote.
If a candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, that candidate becomes mayor and will be sworn into office in December for a three-year term.
Otherwise, the top two vote-getters advance to November - unless those candidates do not combine for a majority of votes. If no two candidates get a combined total of more than 50 percent of the votes, an Aug. 13 runoff would narrow the field to the top two.
With only three mayoral candidates expected to draw the vast majority of votes, the race is unlikely to need a runoff.
The two other candidates, political unknowns Jerry Branch and Lawrence Kirkpatrick, would have to pull significant numbers to force such an election.
In the city auditor race, which has the same rules as the mayoral race, incumbent Clift Richards, 73, a Republican, faces first-time candidates Josh Lewis, 30, a Republican, and Cathy Criswell, 58, a Democrat, in competing for a one-year term.
Four candidates are competing in the Republican primary for the Tulsa County Commission District 3 seat. They are Don Crall, John Wright, Brandon Perkins and Ron Peters.
The winner will face Democrat John Bomar in an Aug. 13 special general election.
District 3 County Commissioner Fred Perry announced earlier this year that he is retiring effective July 8. Perry's successor will serve the rest of his term, which ends in December 2014.
Zack Stoycoff 918-581-8486
zack.stoycoff@tulsaworld.com
Original Print Headline: Mayoral election historic for Tulsa
