State Question 836 Supporters Urge Oklahoma Supreme Court to Uphold Voter Access in High-Stakes Legal Hearing
- Jun 24, 2025
- 2 min read
24 June 2025
OKLAHOMA CITY — Supporters of State Question 836 (SQ 836) appeared before the Oklahoma Supreme Court today to defend the constitutionality of their proposal to bring open primaries to the state.
Delivering oral arguments on behalf of the petitioners was former U.S. Attorney Robert McCampbell of the firm GableGotwals. McCampbell pointed to the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark 2008 decision in Washington State Grange v. Washington State Republican Party—authored by Justice Clarence Thomas—which upheld a nearly identical system as the one proposed by SQ 836. Like Washington’s top-two primary, SQ 836 would allow all candidates to appear on the same ballot and all voters to participate in an open primary election, regardless of party registration.
Tony Stobbe, a petitioner for SQ 836, an independent voter and a retired U.S. Coast Guard Commander was on-hand, along with over a dozen SQ 836 supporters, to witness the proceedings.
“This is not a partisan issue,” said Stobbe. “Let the people vote. That’s all we’re asking. The only reason party insiders are trying to block SQ 836 in court is because they know it has real momentum. Oklahomans are ready for a system where every voter gets to vote in every election—and the political elites are clearly scared of that.”
The lawsuit—Oklahoma Republican Party v. Setter et al.—argues that SQ 836 is unconstitutional, but petitioners maintain the challenge has no merit. Today’s arguments made clear that SQ 836 does not nominate party candidates or restrict parties from endorsing whomever they choose. Instead, it simply changes how publicly funded primaries function: by giving every registered voter a voice.
If the Court rules in favor of the petitioners, supporters will begin gathering signatures to place SQ 836 on the ballot and give voters the final say.
