Oklahoma state legislative Democratic primaries, 2018/Runoffs

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2018 Oklahoma
State Legislature elections
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GeneralNovember 6, 2018
PrimaryJune 26, 2018
Primary RunoffAugust 28, 2018
2018 elections
Choose a chamber below:


Teachers and educators looked to continue their string of victories in the seven Oklahoma state legislative Democratic primary runoffs on August 28. Educators competed in five of the six state House runoffs and in the only state Senate runoff. Educators won three of the state House primary runoffs.

In the June 26 Democratic primaries, educators won 19 of 43 contested state House primaries outright. They won three of seven state Senate primaries.[1]

The primaries were held in the aftermath of a teachers strike in April 2018. The threat of the strike led Gov. Mary Fallin (R) to sign HB 1010xx, which increased teacher pay and education funding. However, the strike commenced anyway as the teachers union argued that the funding increases were inadequate.

Following the strikes, 112 teachers or persons otherwise associated with public education filed to run in the Democratic and Republican primaries and 71 either won or advanced to a runoff. Of these 71 candidates, 28 won their primaries, 21 advanced to runoffs, 21 ran unopposed, and one was unopposed in the primary and in the general election.[2]

Schools closed in four other states—Arizona, Kentucky, North Carolina, and West Virginia—in 2018 due to teacher strikes over education funding, leading teachers to run for office at higher than usual rates.[3]

Heading into the primaries, Democrats held 28 of 101 state House seats and eight of 49 state Senate seats. As of 2018, a three-fourths majority--76 seats in the House and 37 seats in the Senate--was required to increase taxes.[4]

Oklahoma was one of 26 Republican trifectas heading into the 2018 elections. Click here to see the trifectas Ballotpedia considered as potentially vulnerable.



House runoffs

The chart below outlines the seven Democratic primary runoffs for state House seats.

  • It shows the first place finisher and runner-up in the June 26 primaries and the percentage of the vote each received.
  • If an eductator competed in the runoff, the column Educator running? lists his or her name.
Oklahoma House Democratic runoffs
Winner District First-place Vote (%) Runner-up Vote (%) Educator running?[5][1] Incumbent
Terry Hopkins 26 Terry Hopkins 38.7% E. Bruce Bushong 31.70% E. Bruce Bushong Dell Kerbs (R) ran for reelection
Jennie Scott 41 Sara Peterson 39.1% Jennie Scott 37.8% Jennie Scott John Enns (R) was term-limited
Leslie Bonebreak 53 Leslie Bonebreak 39.3% Cyndy Southerland 36.1% Cyndy Southerland Mark McBride (R) ran for reelection
Michael Ross 68 Angela Statum 49.4% Michael Ross 32.9% Angela Statum and Michael Ross Glen Mulready (R) did not file for reelection
Ajay Pittman 99 Ajay Pittman 38.1% Nkem House 32.1% No George Young (D) did not file for reelection
John Carpenter 101 Madeline Scott 32.5% John Carpenter 28.8% Madeline Scott Tess Teague (R) ran for reelection

Senate runoffs

The chart below outlines the single Democratic primary runoff for a state Senate seat.

  • It shows the first place finisher and runner-up in the June 26 primaries and the percentage of the vote each received.
  • If an eductator competed in the runoff, the column Educator running? lists his or her name.
Oklahoma Senate Democratic runoffs
Winner District First-place Vote (%) Runner-up Vote (%) Educator running?[5] Incumbent
Mary Boren 16 Mary Boren 34.6% Claudia Griffith 32.8% Mary Boren John Sparks was term-limited

Oklahoma public school teachers strike

See also:

Schools closed across the state as teachers went on strike—the first since 1990—on April 2, 2018, to protest a lack of education funding. The strike occurred four days after Republican Gov. Mary Fallin signed a tax increase bill that would raise teacher pay. It lasted for nine days, ending on April 12, 2018, when the Oklahoma Education Association declared the end of the strike after a week in which there was no legislative response to educator demands.[6]

Partisan control

The tables below show the partisan breakdowns of the Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma State Senate as of November 2025:

Oklahoma House of Representatives

Party As of November 2025
     Democratic Party 20
     Republican Party 80
     Other 0
     Vacancies 1
Total 101

Oklahoma State Senate

Party As of November 2025
     Democratic Party 8
     Republican Party 40
     Other 0
     Vacancies 0
Total 48

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. In Oklahoma, the Republican Party conducts a closed primary, in which only registered party members may participate. The Democratic Party holds a semi-closed primary, in which unaffiliated voters may participate.[7][8]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Poll times

In Oklahoma, all polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central Time. Anyone in line when the polls close must be allowed to vote.[9]

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in Oklahoma, one must be at least 18 years old, a United States citizen, and a resident of Oklahoma.[10]

The deadline for registration is 25 days prior to the election.

“
  • Fill out a Voter Registration Application using the OK Voter Portal "wizard." (You must print, sign, and mail or hand deliver the application to your County Election Board to complete the process.)
  • Download a Voter Registration Application from the State Election Board website. Applications are also available at your County Election Board, most tag agencies, libraries, and post offices.
  • Applications must be mailed or hand delivered to your County Election Board to complete the process.
  • Register at your County Election Board office.
  • Register at your local tag agency when you apply for, update, or renew your Driver License or State ID. Submitted applications will be mailed to the State Election Board by the agent at no cost.
  • Register with select public assistance agencies when you apply for, update, or renew services. Submitted applications will be mailed to the State Election Board by the agent at no cost.[11]
 ”
—Oklahoma State Election Board[10]

Once an applicant has been successfully registered, the county election board will mail him or her a voter identification card.[10]

Automatic registration

See also: Automatic voter registration

Oklahoma does not practice automatic voter registration.[12]

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Oklahoma has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

See also: Same-day voter registration

Oklahoma does not allow same-day voter registration.[13]

Residency requirements

To register to vote in Oklahoma, you must be a resident of the state.[10] State law does not specify a length of time for which you must have been a resident to be eligible.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Oklahoma does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, a voter who submits false information commits a "felony punishable by not more than five years in prison, by a fine of not more than $50,000, or both."[14]

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[15] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The Oklahoma State Election Board allows residents to check their voter registration status online by visiting the OK Voter Portal.

Voter ID requirements

Oklahoma requires voters to present identification while voting.[16] Generally, voters are required to present a photo ID, but there is an exception to this requirement.

Valid forms of identification include government-issued photo IDs and county election board voter identification cards (which do not include photographs).

“ A document used for proof of identity for voting must have been issued by the United States government, the State of Oklahoma, or a federally recognized tribal government.

The law requires a document used for proof of identity for voting to contain the following information:

  • The name of the person to whom it was issued
  • A photograph of the person to whom it was issued
  • An expiration date that is after the date of the election, unless the identification is valid indefinitely[11]
 ”

To view Oklahoma law pertaining to voter identification, click here.

Early voting

Oklahoma permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.

Absentee voting

All voters are eligible to vote absentee in Oklahoma. There are no special eligibility requirements for voting absentee.[17]

Applications for absentee ballots must be received by 5 p.m. on the third Monday preceding an election. After that deadline, voters who become physically incapacitated or who are first responders or emergency workers may still be eligible to apply for an absentee ballot. A mailed absentee ballot must be received by the county election board before 7 p.m. on Election Day. Absentee ballots delivered by hand must be received by the county election board before the close of business on the Monday before the election.[17]

Although all Oklahoma voters are eligible to vote absentee, those who are visually impaired, living in a nursing home, or serving in the military or living overseas may request a special absentee ballot designed for their circumstances.[17]


See also

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 KTUL, "Dozens of educators advance in Oklahoma primary elections," June 27, 2018
  2. ↑ ABC News, "Oklahoma's teacher candidates surge to November after success in primary elections," June 27, 2018
  3. ↑ Time, "This Teacher Beat Kentucky's House Majority Leader in the GOP Primary. Then He Went Back to School," May 23, 2018
  4. ↑ Tulsa World, "Repealing supermajority requirement would allow Oklahoma Legislature to raise taxes," February 28, 2017
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 RRH Elections, "2018 CO, MD, OK, UT, & SC Runoff Legislative Primary Preview," accessed June 29, 2018
  6. ↑ KTUL, "OEA ends teacher walkout after 9 days, shifts focus to November elections," April 12, 2018
  7. ↑ Oklahoma State Courts Network, "Okla. Stat. tit. 26, § 1–104," accessed October 31, 2025
  8. ↑ Oklahoma State Election Board, "Primary and Runoff Primary Elections," accessed October 31, 2025
  9. ↑ Oklahoma State Courts Network, "Okla. Stat. tit. 26, § 7–104," accessed October 31, 2025
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Oklahoma State Election Board, "Voter Registration in Oklahoma," accessed October 31, 2025
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  12. ↑ NCSL, "Automatic Voter Registration," accessed October 31, 2025
  13. ↑ NCSL, "Same-Day Voter Registration," accessed October 31, 2025
  14. ↑ Oklahoma State Election Board, "Oklahoma Voter Registration Application," accessed October 31, 2025
  15. ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
  16. ↑ Oklahoma State Election Board, "Facts about Proof of Identity for Voting in Oklahoma," accessed October 31, 2025
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 Oklahoma State Election Board, “Absentee Voting,” accessed October 31, 2025
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