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    • Oklahoma ranks last in voter turnout this election. Why?
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    Oklahoma ranks last in voter turnout this election. Why?

    Online Niel Posted on

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    Many Oklahomans anticipated record voter turnout ahead of the most important presidential election in decades, but that didn’t happen until the polls closed.

    About 64 percent of the Oklahoma electorate participated in the Nov. 5 election, down from 69 percent in 2020 and 68 percent in 2016. report from the University of Florida found only 53.4 percent of Oklahomans who met the age and citizenship requirements to vote ultimately voted this year, ranking the state last in voter turnout.

    Oklahoma has become notorious for consistently low voter turnout, but rising voter registration numbers, along with a record number of early voters in the state, suggested things could be different in 2024.

    That voter turnout still lagged despite those early promising signs is not surprising, said Pat McFerron, a well-known pollster whose consulting firm, CMA Strategies, frequently polls Oklahoma voters.

    Experts attribute the unsurprising turnout in Oklahoma to a lack of competition

    McFerron correctly predicted before Nov. 5 that voter turnout would not increase, despite early voting numbers exceeding those of the last two Oklahoma presidential elections.

    McFerron attributed Oklahoma’s high in-person early voting numbers to counties creating additional early voting sites, as well as Republicans moving away from anti-absentee voting rhetoric.

    More: Oklahoma had more voters and more votes, but less turnout in 2024: see the data

    But McFerron said there was a more influential force at play that ultimately led to lower voter turnout overall: the relative inconsistency of the general election from the point of view of voters in the state..

    Oklahoma has almost always voted for the Republican presidential nominee, and this year there have been no substantially competitive statewide races other than judicial retention elections, McFerron said.

    “The reality is in Oklahoma, the November election doesn’t decide much,” McFerron said.

    Michael Crespin, a political science professor at the University of Oklahoma, said Oklahoma’s presidential election is not competitive, which could indicate that many voters don’t think their votes will really count.

    Could More Voter Access Increase Voter Turnout in Oklahoma?

    Crespin, who is also the director and curator of OU’s Carl Albert Center for Congressional Research and Studies, also pointed to the hurdles Oklahoma voters face as an explanation for why voter turnout is historically low.

    Oklahoma launched online voter registration last year, becoming the 41st state to do so. It is still one of the few states with less than seven days of early voting.

    More: A study ranks Oklahoma as one of the least engaged states in the US: see list

    Iowa, a state with a similar number of eligible voters, had a 71 percent turnout rate, compared to Oklahoma’s 53.4 percent. Iowa had a 20-day early voting window when voters in the state could vote at their county auditor’s office or by mail.

    Connecticut, another state with a similar number of eligible voters, had a turnout rate of 71.03 percent. The state had nearly two weeks of early voting.

    Poor education in Oklahoma correlates with low voter turnout

    Crespin also linked Oklahoma’s lack of voter turnout to the state’s low education rankings. Studies have shown that a person’s level of education is a good predictor of whether they will vote, he said.

    A recent study from WalletHubwhich took into account education levels and quality of education, ranked Oklahoma the fifth least educated in the nation. In the study, the state ranked 46th in educational attainment.

    More: Opinion: Good choices? In fact, we came in last for voter turnout

    The report listed Massachusetts, Colorado and Vermont at the top in educational attainment. Each of these states ranked in the top 15 for voter turnout in the University of Florida report.

    Oklahoma’s unified primary could increase voter turnout, poll says

    In Oklahoma, a state where Republicans outnumber Democrats by nearly 2 to 1, local races are often decided during party primaries. For example, in races where multiple Republicans are running for a seat that no Democrat is contesting, whoever wins the Republican primary automatically wins the general election.

    The Republican and Libertarian primary races only allow registered voters in their party to cast ballots. Unaffiliated voters can participate in the Democratic primary.

    More: Could Independents Swing Oklahoma Election Results? More voters say they are independent

    McFerron said a change in Oklahoma’s primary system could lead to higher voter participation and make general elections more meaningful in the state.

    As an example that could increase voter turnout, he suggested moving to a unified primary system where all candidates, regardless of party, run in a single ballot. The two candidates who received the most votes would advance to the general election.

    “You’d have the runoff election that would be in November, so it would encourage people to participate at that time,” McFerron said.

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