Legislative Staff Release

Published: 30-Dec-2010

A bill by Rep. Eric Proctor, a Tulsa Democrat, would give Oklahoma’s 240,000 registered Independents the opportunity to vote in Oklahoma’s presidential primary election.

“As a high school government teacher, I told my students that one of our most precious rights as citizens is the right to the ballot box,” Proctor said. “In our Republic the most important thing we can do as citizens is vote for who should lead our country.”

However, nearly a quarter million Oklahomans do not have the opportunity to vote for who will be nominated to the highest office in the land, he noted in a release sent to CapitolBeatOK.

“Independent registered voters should not be forced to belong to a political party that they do not agree with in order to vote for President of the United States,” Proctor said.

With the passage of the legislation, Oklahoma would become the 20th state to give voting rights to Independent voters in presidential primary elections.