Oklahoman: Survey Results May Augment Push to Boost OK Voter Turnout
Survey results may augment push to boost Oklahoma voter turnout
by The Oklahoman Editorial Board
WE heard a fair amount during the 2015 legislative session about declining voter turnout. In 2014, only about 40 percent of registered voters went to the polls, although true voter participation fell below 30 percent. That takes into account how many eligible citizens weren’t registered to vote.
Oklahoma mirrors what has been happening nationally. For the 2014 midterm elections, which are always marked by low turnout, a meager 36 percent of eligible voters cast ballots. According to the U.S. Elections Project, that was the worst turnout rate since 1942.
State Sen. David Holt, R-Oklahoma City, is making it a priority to try to increase voter turnout by reforming the voting system. This session, lawmakers approved two of his bills. One will allow electronic voter registration. The other consolidates elections for local elective office to either one cycle in the spring or one cycle in the fall.
Holt would like to see much more done, including all-mail elections, adopting a “top-two” primary system in which the two candidates with the most votes advance to the general election, regardless of their political affiliation, and allowing people to become permanent absentee voters. He filed bills in 2015 to do all this and more, but those were rejected.
I smell a rat……several of them, actually.