An Important Election

Tuesday, Nov. 8 ushers in Oklahoma’s general election for a variety of government leadership roles.

Oklahomans will either elect the state’s 29th governor or re-elect incumbent Governor Kevin Stitt. Also running for the state’s top executive seat are Joy Hofmeister (D), Ervin Yen (I) and Natalie Bruno (L). Oklahoma’s first 17 governors were all from the Democratic Party, but since 1963, more than half of Oklahoma governors elected have been Republican. 

There are other critical positions at the state level up for grabs, including Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, State Treasurer and State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Oklahomans will also elect the Oklahoma Corporation Commissioner and State Commissioner of Labor.

For lieutenant governor, candidates are Matt Pinnell (incumbent, R), Melinda Alizadeh-Fard (D) and Chris Powell (L). Only two candidates are running for attorney general: Gentner Drummond (R) and Lynda Steele (L). 

There are two U.S. Senate races on the November ballot; incumbent James Lankford (R) will defend his seat against Madison Horn (D), Michael Delaney (I) and Kenneth Blevins (L). Having served as U.S. Senator from Oklahoma since 1994, Jim Inhofe will retire this year and his seat will be up for grabs in a special election. Candidates are Kendra Horn (D), Markwayne Mullin (R), Ray Woods (I) and Robert Murphy (L). 

U.S. House Oklahoma District 1 will be contested among Kevin Hern (incumbent, R), Adam Martin (D) and Evelyn Rogers (I).

Information on all candidates can be found on the Oklahoma Election Board website, under the heading “candidates.” 

Voter Turnout and Resources

Since 2014, Oklahoma voter turnout has been steadily growing, with the greatest increase among voters aged 18 to 24. This age group still represents the smallest percentage of total voter turnout – a mere 6% of all voters – while voters over age 44 represent 66% of all voters. However, this older demographic has declined by 11% since 2014. 

The League of Women Voters creates a voters guide for non-partisan information to help make informed decisions during election season. Additionally, for those worried about election security and the integrity of the vote count process, the league recently published a review of election security in Oklahoma, available at my.lwv.org/oklahoma. 

918 Vote is an initiative of Tulsa Young Professionals (TYPROS) which focuses on registering, educating and mobilizing voters 40 and under in the Tulsa area. Utilizing non-partisan and community-building tools, TYPROS aims to create a new generation of young, engaged voters and establish more representative election outcomes (typros.org/918vote).

Vote Your Values is a coalition of tribal nations and community partners developed as a voter education initiative to increase voter registration and engagement across Oklahoma. This is another educational voting resource aimed to inspire every of-age citizen to engage more meaningfully with the voting process (voteyourvaluesok.com/be-involved).