The Oklahoma Election Board's recent announcement that none of the political parties will have open primaries has the state's Democratic Party challenging the decision.

Oklahomans in House District 35 will have the chance to vote on a new representative Tuesday. The seat covers cities in Creek, Noble, Osage, Pawnee and Payne counties. Former Rep. Ty Burns, R-Pawnee, resigned after pleading guilty to domestic abuse and assault.

Republican voters in House District 35 cast ballots in a special primary election Tuesday, but they'll have to do it again in January.

The election isn't until next year, but Mark Faulk, Harry Meister, Alex Warren, and Wendy Jo Hampton, are already running for OK County commissioner.

Nearly half a million Oklahomans registered as Independents will be unable to vote in primary elections for the next two years. Some Independent voters have decided to switch parties to continue voting in the primary.

Independents in Oklahoma will not be able to vote in the 2026-2027 primaries and runoff primaries. State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax announced on Wednesday that none of the three state recognized political parties filed a notice to allow Independents to vote in these elections.

The State Election Board Secretary announced on Wednesday that all primaries will remain closed for the 2026-2027 election years.

It’s been nearly three months since the Ethics Commission took down its database that tracks critical parts of our legislative and election processes.

A Democratic Party spokesperson said party officials voted in June to continue with open primaries and notified the Election Board of that decision in early August. According to a press release from the Democrats, the party did not receive further communication on the matter between then and Wednesday's announcement from the Election Board.

No candidate secured a majority in the GOP primary for Oklahoma House District 35, sending Dillon Travis and Mike Waters to a Jan. 13 runoff.