> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://ivn.us/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # 500,000 Oklahoma Independents Can Vote on Voter ID Tuesday — But Not for Governor - URL: https://ivn.us/500-000-oklahoma-independents-can-vote-on-voter-id-tuesday-but-not-for-governor/ - Published: 2026-08-24T19:30:25.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-24T19:30:25.000Z - Description: Nearly 500,000 Oklahoma independent voters can vote on a voter ID amendment Tuesday but are locked out of the Republican gubernatorial runoff that will effectively decide the next governor in the deep red state. - Author: Shawn Griffiths - Tags: Open Primaries, Oklahoma, Voter ID Laws, #Top-Story **OKLAHOMA CITY** — Nearly half a million Oklahoma voters will be allowed to weigh in Tuesday on whether voter ID should be enshrined in the state constitution. But those same voters won't be allowed to vote in the most consequential contest: the Republican runoff for governor. That's because the roughly 491,000 voters registered as independents—making up more than 20% of the state's electorate—are locked out of every partisan primary and runoff in 2026. Oklahoma law requires the state to use semi-closed primaries, which means registered party members can vote in their respective party’s primary. However, the parties decide what rights independent voters have in these elections. In previous election cycles, the Democratic Party opened its primaries to independent voters. This year, no party did even though the primaries and primary runoffs are funded, in part, by these voters. The Oklahoma State Election Board says the Republican, Democratic and Libertarian parties have all declined to allow independents to vote in their primaries or runoffs for the 2026 and 2027 election years. So, independents who show up to the polls Tuesday will only have two proposed constitutional amendments on their ballot, including a voter ID proposal (SQ 846) that won’t actually change state law. It will just add existing law to the state constitution. What won’t be on the ballot for independent voters are the elections that will effectively decide who will represent them in state government. ## A Say on Voter ID, But Not the GOP Nominee The race that is getting the most attention Tuesday is the Republican gubernatorial runoff between Attorney General Gentner Drummond and former state Sen. Mike Mazzei. The winner will be considered the odds-on favorite to become the next governor. Registered Republicans, after all, make up a majority of the registered electorate. While Democratic nominee Cyndi Munson will face the winner of the runoff in November, that election is seen as mostly a formality in such a deep red state. Drummond and Mazzei emerged from a nine-candidate June primary separated by less than a percentage point. Drummond received 26.25% of the vote to Mazzei's 25.97%, forcing the runoff because neither received a majority. It will be another test of President Trump’s endorsement power in this midterm cycle as Mazzei was endorsed by him—but with a considerably lower turnout than the 26% of registered voters who participated in the primary. The general rule for runoffs (and this is a late cycle runoff) is take the turnout from the regular election and cut it in half. And, since 1-in-5 Oklahoma voters are denied access, statistics show this election will be decided by a small subset of older, partisan voters. Independent voters also cannot participate in the Democratic US Senate runoff between N'Kiyla Jasmine Thomas and Jim Priest. But they can vote on State Question 844 (dealing with manufacturing property tax reimbursements) and 846 (the voter ID proposal). The Oklahoma State Election Board explicitly states that all registered voters, including independents, are eligible to vote on state questions even when those questions appear during a partisan primary or runoff election. ## What Is State Question 846? SQ 846 would amend the Oklahoma Constitution to require voters to provide proof of identity when voting by any method authorized under state law. It would also direct the legislature to determine through law what qualifies as acceptable proof of identity. Notably, this means Oklahomans will not fully know what future voter ID will look when they cast their ballots Tuesday. However, the state already has a voter ID law. Voters approved it overwhelmingly in 2010, with 74% voting in favor. Current law requires people voting in person to show qualifying identification before receiving a ballot, though voters without identification have an option to cast a provisional ballot. Supporters of SQ 846 argue the amendment would protect voter ID from being eliminated by a future legislature and strengthen confidence in elections. Opponents argue the change is unnecessary because Oklahoma already requires ID and warn that the amendment would give future lawmakers broad power to determine what identification voters must provide—which may be stricter than voters want. ## Oklahoma's Larger Primary Fight The exclusion of independents Tuesday comes as Oklahoma is already embroiled in a separate fight over who gets to participate in primary elections. Supporters of SQ 836 collected more than 209,000 signatures for an initiative that would replace Oklahoma's partisan primaries with a single nonpartisan primary open to every voter and candidate. The top two finishers, regardless of party, would advance to November. [Oklahoma Rejected Nearly 58,000 Signatures for Open Primaries. Now Voters Want Answers.The Oklahoma secretary of state rejected the signatures of an open primary initiative. Now, voters are taking the matter to court.![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/icon/ivn-square-logo-420c12f4-96ae-4d6c-8dac-0fa5cdedb5cb.png)Independent Voter NewsShawn Griffiths![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/dc/be/dcbe1ac4-146f-43be-92a6-ea84728d86a6/content/images/thumbnail/oklahoma-open-primaries-3-f78839ea-80ef-4d1f-9363-fddfeb5c8cc0.jpg)](https://ivn.us/oklahoma-rejected-nearly-58-000-signatures-for-open-primaries-now-voters-want-answers/) The secretary of state's office rejected more than 57,000 signatures and certified 142,567 — short of the 172,993 required. Supporters challenged the rejection, and the dispute remains before the Oklahoma Supreme Court following arguments in July. At issue is not just the rejection of so many signatures, but the lack of transparency offered by the secretary of state’s office on why these signatures were rejected. Petitioners do not have the means to determine if their signatures were accepted or rejected. And the campaign for SQ 836 wants clarification. “We all want more faith in our government, but trust is not built by summarily rejecting more than 57,000 signatures without providing a sufficient explanation as to their exclusion,” said Ken Setter, a campaign volunteer. > *“We simply want the ability to identify which signatures were excluded so we can evaluate if they should have been counted.”* Tuesday's election offers a real-time illustration of what that debate is about. Oklahoma's independent voters are considered qualified enough to decide whether to alter the state's constitution and change the rules governing how Oklahomans vote. They just aren't considered eligible to decide in an election they fund who will be their next governor.