SQ 836 may bring more independence to Oklahoma

5 January 2026

By William Wertz, Deputy Viewpoints Editor, The Oklahoman

Next year the nation will celebrate the 250th anniversary of American Revolution, a world-changing event in history.

A smaller version of that political revolt may be shaping up in Oklahoma – sooner than expected because of an apparently accidental missed deadline.

Earlier this month, the Oklahoma State Election Board announced that no political party filed a notice to allow independents to vote in its primaries and runoff primaries during the 2026-2027 election years.

The Republican Party has kept its primary elections closed to outsiders for years, but the Democratic Party has previously allowed independents

This year, even though the Democrats said they notified the board that it had voted at its convention to continue its policy of openness, the board said the law required an official notice to be submitted during a particular 30-day period. Democrats said they were "blindsided," but the decision was not changed.

A week later, on the anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, a new group called "Oklahoma Independents" was launched to counteract "voter suppression."

"Independent voters pay taxes, fund public elections and live with the outcomes of those elections, yet many are locked out of the most consequential contests," said Andy Moore, the group's spokesperson. "That's a modern form of taxation without representation, and it's a problem worth solving."

Moore is an Oklahoma City-based civic activist, founder and CEO of "Let's Fix This," a nonprofit group established in 2016 to help Oklahomans understand better how to engage with their state government.

In an interview with The Oklahoman, Moore said the group's intention isn't to form a new political party.

Read the rest at Oklahoman.com.