Oklahoma Supreme Court Hears Open-Primaries Petition Case: More Than 57,000 Rejected Signatures at Issue
The Oklahoma Supreme Court heard arguments in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, on November 2 in the open-primaries petition case, with the nine justices spending about 90 minutes hearing the Secretary of State's office and supporters of State Question 836. At issue is whether the state must provide a list of the more than 57,000 rejected signatures and the reasons each was rejected.
State Question 836 would create an open primary system in which all candidates appear on a single primary ballot regardless of party, with the top two advancing. Supporters submitted more than 209,000 signatures; Secretary of State Benjamin Lepak ruled in March that only 142,567 were valid, with more than 57,000 rejected for failing to meet four of the five voter verification requirements set by a 2024 state law. A valid initiative petition requires 172,993 signatures.
Supporters' attorney Fredric Dorwart said the failure to produce the list placed an undue burden on proponents; the state's attorney, Cedric Bond, said the state's software could not produce such a list. Several justices pressed why no list had been produced and whether the secretary presumes the more than 57,000 signers committed a felony. No timetable for a ruling was announced.
(Source: The Oklahoman)
Source: The Oklahoman
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：俄克拉何马州议会大厦夜景，位于俄克拉何马城。w_lemay 摄，CC BY-SA 2.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: The Oklahoma State Capitol at night in Oklahoma City. By w_lemay, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
