|
|
1) High number of unopposed state legislative races
2) Low voter participation in Oklahoma
3) Increasing number of registered Independents
(Recent Margins of Victories by district
also shown below)
|
Percentage
of State Legislative Races Unopposed- Midterm
|
|
Year
|
Nov.
|
Nov.
Hs.
|
Nov.
Sen.
|
Primary
|
Hs.
Primary
|
Sen.
Primary
|
|
1978
|
55%
|
58%
|
42%
|
69%
|
70%
|
67%
|
|
1982
|
65%
|
66%
|
58%
|
74%
|
73%
|
79%
|
|
1986
|
45%
|
48%
|
33%
|
67%
|
69%
|
58%
|
|
1990
|
45%
|
43%
|
54%
|
65%
|
65%
|
63%
|
|
1994
|
53%
|
53%
|
50%
|
82%
|
83%
|
79%
|
|
1998
|
42%
|
45%
|
29%
|
83%
|
86%
|
73%
|
|
2002
|
42%
|
43%
|
38%
|
84%
|
86%
|
79%
|
|
2006
|
50%
|
52%
|
38%
|
79%
|
80%
|
77%
|
|
Average
|
49%
|
51%
|
43%
|
75%
|
76%
|
72%
|
|
Percentage
of State Legislative Races Unopposed- Presidential
|
|
Year
|
Nov.
|
Nov. Hs.
|
Nov. Sen.
|
Primary
|
Hs. Primary
|
Sen. Primary
|
|
1980
|
68%
|
68%
|
67%
|
76%
|
75%
|
81%
|
|
1984
|
52%
|
53%
|
46%
|
69%
|
67%
|
77%
|
|
1988
|
46%
|
47%
|
46%
|
72%
|
73%
|
67%
|
|
1992
|
46%
|
48%
|
42%
|
74%
|
77%
|
60%
|
|
1996
|
25%
|
29%
|
8%
|
74%
|
77%
|
60%
|
|
2000
|
39%
|
44%
|
21%
|
82%
|
81%
|
85%
|
|
2004
|
31%
|
35%
|
17%
|
68%
|
71%
|
56%
|
|
Average
|
44%
|
46%
|
35%
|
73%
|
74%
|
70%
|
The
number of primaries has gone down in recent years, in the last ten years
(five elections) only 20.7% of potential 250 major party legislative
primaries have drawn at least two candidates (so 79.3% unopposed primaries).
Voter Turnout
Note
that Voting Age Population (VAP) includes some ineligible individuals, so
voting eligible population is about 100,000 less than VAP.
Data
from http://www.eac.gov/election_resources/turn/oklah.htm and
http://elections.gmu.edu/voter_turnout.htm
|
Oklahoma Voter Registration and Turnout
in Midterm Elections - 1982 to 2006
|
|
Year
|
Total VAP
|
Total Registered
|
Turnout
|
%Reg
VAP
|
%T/O regist.
|
%T/O VAP
|
|
|
1982
|
2,346,265
|
|
883,130
|
|
|
37.64
|
|
|
1986
|
2,343,190
|
|
909,925
|
|
|
38.83
|
|
|
1990
|
2,313,340
|
|
911,314
|
|
|
39.39
|
|
|
1994
|
2,394,000
|
2,043,592
|
1,002,363
|
85.36
|
49.05
|
41.87
|
|
|
1998
|
2,463,000
|
1,737,229
|
859,713
|
85.36
|
55.26
|
34.91
|
|
|
2002
|
2,620,000
|
1,687,477
|
1,018,424
|
85.36
|
60.35
|
38.87
|
|
|
2006
|
2,735,701
|
2,008,973
|
926,462
|
73.44
|
46.12
|
33.87
|
|
|
average OK voter turnout in
mid-term elections
|
52.7% (94-06)
|
37.9%
|
|
Oklahoma Voter Registration and Turnout in
Presidential Elections - 1980 to 2004
|
Year
|
Total VAP
|
Total Registered
|
Turnout
|
%Reg
VAP
|
%T/O regist.
|
%T/O VAP
|
|
1980
|
2,207,000
|
1,469,320
|
1,149,708
|
66.58
|
78.25
|
52.09
|
|
1984
|
2,408,000
|
1,949,989
|
1,255,676
|
80.98
|
64.39
|
52.15
|
|
1988
|
2,404,000
|
2,199,014
|
1,171,036
|
91.47
|
53.25
|
48.71
|
|
1992
|
2,328,000
|
2,302,279
|
1,390,359
|
98.90
|
60.39
|
|
