The Oklahoma Democratic party is opening up its primaries to independent voters. I guess they think by doing so they'll have a slightly better shitty chance of winning some elections in this state.
Via The Tulsa World:
Oklahoma's 261,000 independent voters would be allowed to cast votes in Democratic primary elections under a proposal state party delegates are expected to support in a meeting next month.
The move is intended to show the party is inclusive of differing viewpoints and is aimed at boosting support for Democratic candidates in a state dominated by the GOP.
Twenty years ago, independents made up only about 5 percent of registered voters. They now represent nearly 13 percent. The rest of the electorate is about evenly balanced between Republicans and Democrats, with Republicans holding a slight edge...
Some Democrats feel they can begin to turn around their party's fortunes if they can tap the growing number of independents.
Mark Hammons, state Democratic party chairman, said a majority favored the proposal when party delegates met last month but time ran out before the issue could be decided. They are to meet again on July 25 at Oklahoma City Community College.
"It looks like it has pretty significant support, the margins were pretty high," Hammons said. "Our political philosophy is one of inclusion and accepting a broad range of political views."...
That sounds like a smart plan. Engage independent voters, let them have a say in who is elected, and maybe they'll pay more attention to your platform and support your party.
I wonder what State GOP President Randy Brogdon thinks about that. Will they follow suit and let independent voters vote in the GOP primaries?
Randy Brogdon, chairman of the state Republican Party, has no interest in allowing independents to participate in GOP primaries.
"A majority of the independents have come from the Republican Party primarily because we haven't done an excellent job of promoting Republican principles of limited government and lower taxes," he said. "We want to give them a reason to come back."
He also said Democrats would be making a mistake if they open up their primaries.
"It's a great way to water down your base and it would probably have a negative effect on the Democratic party, which is fine with me," he said.
Here's a lesson in irony for you...
Randy Brogdon, the Chairman of the Oklahoma GOP, wants Independent voters to return to the Republican Party by promoting principles of limited government and lower taxes. To promote those principles, he plagiarizes false analogies comparing poor people to wild animals, calls for a ban to Roe Vs. Wade, and even sticks up for political cronies charged with domestic abuse.
Okay, no real irony there. Just a sad truth.
Anyway, as a former Independent who changed his registration to Democrat just so I could vote in primaries, I'm all for this. I guess I should go back to being Independent, or better yet, just switch to Republican.
Read More:
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
