Let's put SQ 836 on the general election ballot | Editorial

The Oklahoman Editorial Board

8 January 2026

Oklahomans may have an opportunity this year to make a dramatic political statement.

It all depends on a petition drive now going on all over the state. Signatures are being gathered in coffee shops, bookstores, public libraries and other busy places from Alva to Weatherford. If at least 173,000 signatures are obtained and certified as legitimate by the secretary of state (and any legal challenges overcome), a constitutional amendment — State Question 836 — will appear on the general election ballot in November.

The exact wording of what will appear on the ballot won't be determined by the attorney general until after the signature gathering and verification process is completed, but the "gist" of the amendment — the summary that was on the petition voters signed — was upheld by the Oklahoma Supreme Court in September.

According to the official gist, SQ 836 would establish an open primary system where all candidates appear on one primary ballot, instead of one for Republicans and one for Democrats, allowing any qualified voter to participate regardless of party affiliation. The top two candidates from this primary would proceed to the general election.

And, yes, this means that the top two candidates moving on might both be Republicans or both Democrats. Or a registered independent might be in the mix. Independents are Oklahoma's fastest-growing voter block.

The Oklahoman supports SQ 836.

Why is this change a good idea?

Former Republican U.S. Rep. Mickey Edwards, now on the faculty at Princeton University, put it this way in his 2013 book, "The Parties Versus the People."

"Imagine how you and your neighbors might approach solving some important problem for your community," Edwards wrote in the book. "The one thing you will probably not do is divide into separate partisan camps, with Republicans in one group and Democrats in another. There will probably be no attempt to choose task force leaders or remove members from the organization on the basis of membership in one or the other political club."

Approval of SQ 836 would create an election process for state officials similar to the one now in effect in Oklahoma City. An initial vote for mayor will be held on Feb. 10, and a runoff election, if needed, between the top two vote-getters will be April 7, 2026.  

Mayor David Holt, a Republican former state senator, is an outspoken advocate of SQ 836. Holt won reelection in 2022 with nearly 60% of the vote in a four-person race.

"SQ 836 copies Oklahoma City's electoral system in all its most important aspects," the mayor says. "All of the candidates have to face all of the voters. This incentivizes candidates to build coalitions and propose pragmatic outcomes that have broad support. People across the state have little choice but to acknowledge that the city's governance has been exceptional, and our electoral system is the number one reason for that. I simply believe that all people should have the chance to vote, and that when that is the case, we make better decisions. I want the state to harness that wisdom and unlock the same success we enjoy in OKC.”

Read the rest at The Oklahoman.