Group forms to give voice to disenfranchised Oklahoma independent voters (Oklahoma Voice)

Group forms to give voice to disenfranchised Oklahoma independent voters

By:Barbara Hoberock-December 16, 2025

OKLAHOMA CITY – A new group has formed to represent Oklahoma independents and challenge voter suppression.

The group is called Oklahoma Independents but is not a recognized political party.

The group’s formation comes after it was announced last week that independents would not be allowed to vote in Democratic, Republican or Libertarian primaries. Democrats had allowed independents to vote in their primaries for nearly a decade.

The Oklahoma Democratic Party, which had voted to continue to allow independents to vote in their primaries, is considering its legal options.

The Oklahoma Election Board said the party did not file the proper notice required under state law to open its primaries.

“Independent voters pay taxes, fund public elections, and live with the outcomes of those elections, yet many are locked out of the most consequential contests,” said Andy Moore, a spokesman for the new group. “That’s a modern form of taxation without representation, and it’s a problem worth solving.”

Oklahoma has nearly 2.4 million voters, of which 487,927 are independents.

Emily Hale is an independent from Harrah.

“Most people don’t fit neatly into a red or blue box,” she said. “But our system insists we choose one just to have a voice.”