Oklahoma's voters are becoming more politically independent.
Latest numbers from the state Election Board show that the largest number of new voters registering in the state since March - when more than 145,000 inactive voters were purged from the rolls - aren't willing to associate with either political party.
That's some 4,582 new independent voters, compared with 1,544 new Republicans.
The Democratic Party remains the state's largest, but it has lost 3,306 voters.
Independents represent 11.8 percent of state voters, which may sound small, but consider this: 20 years ago independents were only 3 percent of the voting population, and 50 years ago, they were 0.4 percent.
Nonpartisan registration is a definite trend, and there's reason to think it's picking up speed in Oklahoma.
In a Monday story, Tulsa World Staff Writer Curtis Killman pointed out that nonpartisan voters are younger voters.
The average age of a registered Democrat is 50.8. The average age of a registered Republican is 45.4. The average age of an independent voter is 35.
If the registration trend continues and independent voters don't migrate into parties as they age, the future of Oklahoma's voters could be much less aligned with any party.
That creates a significant incongruity. The state voting population is becoming more independent, but state government is still organized along partisan lines.
The Legislature is strictly divided between Democrats and Republicans, and key election laws are predicated on that same binary assumption - if you're a voter, you're either a Democrat or a Republican.
The state maintains a closed primary system that allows only Democrats to vote in the Democratic primary and only Republicans to vote in the GOP primary.
And those primaries are paid for by the state.
Given the registration trends, it might soon be time to reconsider the privileged position of political parties in Oklahoma law.
Is it legitimate to deny the fastest-growing segment of the voting population the right to participate in primary elections, which often determine who will hold political offices?
If the parties want to maintain closed primaries, is it legitimate for taxpayers to underwrite the costs of those elections?
Oklahoma's voters are becoming more politically independent. It may be time for state elections to follow suit.
Original Print Headline: Independence
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