Guest: It's time to give independents a voice in Oklahoma elections

I moved to Oklahoma this year, and it has been a pleasant experience. The people are kind, and the area offers a lot of big city amenities without the rampant congestion so prevalent in other areas of the country. As a veteran, I’m also encouraged by the large number of American flags flying throughout my neighborhood.

When I obtained my driver’s license and was asked if I wanted to register to vote, it was an easy yes. As I have for the past three decades, I registered as an independent, or more specifically selected the option “No Party.” What I didn’t learn until later is that registering as “No Party” locked me out of having my vote counted in the election that decides 95% of outcomes in Oklahoma, the primary. This doesn’t sit well with me, and I’d like to explain why.

Not affiliating with a political party is very common in the military community; 49% of veterans self-identify as independent or unaffiliated. I don’t think choosing a party is wrong, but for me being an independent started when I wore a uniform and swore an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies.” That oath felt more comfortable to uphold if I didn’t pick political sides. Now that I am past my time on active duty, I continue as an independent due to a belief in the common good and a dissatisfaction with the current entrenched politics industry that is self-serving, divisive and dysfunctional. I’m not alone here, with 80% of Americans disapproving of the way Congress is handling its job.

Unfortunately, Oklahoma’s closed primary system means selecting “No Party” leaves me and countless others unable to vote. I can’t name a single positive benefit to the residents of this state that comes from closed primaries, but there are plenty of benefits to the political parties who get to unilaterally choose who takes office. The power political parties hold over election outcomes is contrary to the principles on which this nation was founded. I’m not a constitutional lawyer, but I don’t think the governing documents of our nation require a citizen to “choose a side” before being permitted to participate as a citizen.

President George Washington, our first commander-in-chief and a veteran, went to great lengths in his farewell address to plead with us to avoid political party control over government, saying to us all that “the name of American, which belongs to you in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of patriotism more than any appellation derived from local discriminations.” Washington warned that artificial, self-serving tribalism, which empowers parties over people, invites foreign influence by sowing division. This is an eerily accurate description of some of the most dangerous challenges facing America today.

There are also practical considerations at play. As an Oklahoma taxpayer, I participate along with all Oklahomans in shouldering the cost of administering elections. My choice of “No Party” doesn’t excuse me from paying taxes, nor should it. But, this choice leaves me and numerous others who choose to not pick a party locked out of elections that we pay for.

Thankfully, the solution is simple: Open primaries that let all voters vote for who they want in every election. In such a system all candidates would participate in a single ballot, and those receiving the greatest number of votes would move to the general election. This system would retain a place for political parties who would remain an important and influential force for those who prefer them.

I find myself firmly agreeing with Margaret Kobos, founder of Oklahoma United for Progress, when she states “People in Oklahoma do have a strong independent streak, and we don’t like being told what to do. I feel like we’re capable of making a decision by ourselves.” I think it is time to let everyone participate in the political process.

Albert Einstein once defined insanity as repeating the same thing over and over and expecting different results. It is time to vote for people and not for parties, and opening the primary to all voters is an important first step.

Tony Stobbe served for 20 years in the United States Coast Guard and serves as a Veterans for Political Innovation Oklahoma State Leader. He and his family live in Edmond, Oklahoma.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Guest column: Independent voters in Oklahoma should not be excluded