Early voting for Oklahoma’s primary election begins Thursday. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
OKLAHOMA CITY – Early voting for Oklahoma’s primary elections begins Thursday.
On the ballot are elections to the U.S. House of Representatives, State Senate and House of Representatives. The corporation commissioner race, also on the ballot, will be the only statewide election.
In the US congressional elections, three of the five races will see challengers to the incumbents. One of the most contested districts is District 4, where U.S. Rep. Tom Cole is campaigning for re-election against Paul Bondar, who made headlines over questions about his residency. Both are Republicans. Other Republicans running are Andrew Hayes, Nick Hankins and Rick Whitebear Harris.
Of the 26 state Senate races, 10 incumbents face primary challengers. The incumbents in 23 House races face primary challengers.
Several elections in the House of Representatives and the Senate have vacant seats because their current incumbents are about to step down. Legislators are limited to 12 years.
Several candidates will have no opponent in the primary, but will have an opponent in the general election on November 5.
State Board of Elections Secretary Paul Ziriax said he doesn’t have a prediction on what early voting turnout will look like this year.
“In-person absentee voting, also known as ‘early voting,’ for the primary election begins Thursday, so we don’t yet know what that will look like,” Ziriax said in a statement.
However, Ziriax cited the March preferential presidential primary as a point of comparison.
Republicans saw an increase of about 25% in the 2020 to 2024 preferred presidential primaries for in-person mail-in voting. Democrats saw a decline of about 72% between 2020 and 2024. Libertarians gained 17 votes in 2024 after not having a race in 2020.
Oklahoma is a closed-party state, meaning voters can only vote for their registered party. The Democratic Party, however, authorizes independent vote in your party.
Early voting is open Thursday and Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. On election day, June 18, polling stations will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
The second round of primary elections will take place on August 27.
Identification must be presented with a photo ID, voter ID card from the county board of elections, or affidavit with provisional ballot.
Voters can vote at the designated location early voting locations.
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