Vote Yes 836 Submits More Than 200,000 Signatures for Open Primaries Ballot Initiative

26 January 2026

OKLAHOMA CITY — Vote Yes 836 staff and volunteers today filed over 200,000 signatures  with the Oklahoma Secretary of State’s office in support of State Question 836, marking a major milestone for the citizen-led campaign to bring open primary elections to Oklahoma. The effort requires 172,993 valid signatures to be successful.

The filing comes despite extraordinary challenges during the final days of signature gathering. Severe winter weather across Oklahoma limited in-person signing opportunities, forced the cancellation of events, and made it difficult to transport completed petitions from parts of the state to Oklahoma City ahead of the deadline. The Vote Yes 836 initiative also faced establishment resistance, legal challenges, and organized opposition from political parties.

Even so, organizers say volunteers rose to the moment.

“We are able to turn in these signatures today because hundreds of hardworking volunteers from every corner of the state stood in the wind, bitter cold, and the snow — even through the holidays — to get this on the ballot,” said Ken Setter, a retired Tulsa pediatrician and a longtime supporter of the initiative. “They did that because they understand that we can’t fix what’s broken in our state until we fix how we choose our leaders. That means creating a system where all Oklahomans can bring their ideas and solutions to the table — and where no one is excluded from meaningful participation.  Along the way, they met thousands of voters who are hopeful to see this change.”

Under Oklahoma’s current system, most meaningful elections are decided in closed primaries that exclude hundreds of thousands of registered independent voters. State Question 836 would place all candidates on a single primary ballot, with party registration listed, and allow all voters to participate.

“We talk a lot about honoring veterans and investing in young people, but our election system shuts many of them out,” said Tony Stobbe, a retired US Coast Guard Commander and an Edmond resident. “Veterans, young voters, and independents of all kinds are effectively locked out of the primary process. SQ 836 is about doing right by them and giving everyone a voice.”

The Secretary of State’s office will now begin the signature verification process. While campaigns historically expect a portion of signatures to be disqualified for technical reasons, organizers are hopeful their signature count will be deemed valid and Oklahomans can vote on the initiative in November 2026.

“This campaign started with everyday Oklahomans talking about ways we could make our government more accountable and more responsive to the people,” said Margaret Kobos, Founder and CEO of Oklahoma United, the non-profit that helped launch the initiative petition. “That conversation has now become a statewide movement for reform, and I could not be prouder of the volunteers, donors and staff who got us to this point.”