Good morning, good morning, good morning, and welcome, welcome, welcome. He's time now for our community connection right here on Caitelan when you trust. And today we're going to be talking about a state question that's going to appear on about it coming to your area soon.
It's about open primaries.
And it is called a state question number eight thirty six. And I believe we have Pat McFerrin on with us, and Pat, how are you doing today?
I'm doing great, Thanks Tom.
Well, thank you very much. Now you've been doing this for more than a minute. It got like thirty years of election and grassroots lobbying and a few other things and research going here for you. But talking to you on the phone, it sounds like you ain't old enough to been around anywhere near thirty years doing things like that.
Oh, young fellow, I have been.
I graduated from Nowaha High School back in nineteen eighty six and started working in politics about that time.
My goodness sake, tell us a little bit about some of the things you've been up to as far as that. I see you've worked on some presidential things too.
Yeah. Yeah, we were the only pollster that Donald Trump used in his twenty sixteen election cycle. Now during the primary campaign, now, he doesn't believe too much in polls, so he didn't use us very often, but we were the only ones that he used. And dating back to Bob Dole's campaign and others, we've done quite a few presidential races, but Oklahoma has always been home, and I've been very proud of everything we've done here, ranging from
members of Congress Frank Keating's gubernatorial campaigns. Right to work here in alcohol and in grocery stores a few years ago is another state question we worked on.
Well. This state question is a little bit interesting because there are some states that have so called the open primaries, and that definition can change from state to state. I've lived in states where they've had so called open primaries where you know, you could jump across the line and vote either Republican Democrat, Independent or Socialist Worker Party or left handed banjo picker Party, whatever one you wanted, and
it really didn't make any difference. But what he's lined up here is a little bit different than what I'm used to seeing. Can you explain a little bit about what's being proposed?
Yes, and you're right, there is some confusion here, and that's one of reason why we want to have these kinds of conversations. There are some states that claim to have open primaries, but from a legal definition that really semi open. And that's where you go in on election day and you pick, am I going to vote in the Republican primary or am I going to vote the
Democratic primary or one of the other minor parties. And that's kind of how Texas does at Virginia Missouri, and I want to be very clear, that is not what we're doing. I don't like those types of primaries because I think it leads to gainsmanship, it leads to chaos. Yeah, well, what happens that, for example, only one Democrats running, The Democrats might all decide to vote in the Republican primary to nominate the weakest person or vice versa. And I
don't think that's how you get good government. Think they can get representative government. What we're doing is a truly open primary where we kind of do away with the artisan primaries. Now people still Republicans and Democrats are still on the ballot, but you go in and you vote for the one person in that race you like, if it's a Republican or a Democrat, independent, or the left hand banjo picking parties.
There you go, and.
The top two will then face off in November. So the Democrats have to vote for the Democrats and want the Democrat to advance. So the Republicans have to vote for a Republican if they want to. But you can't end up where you'd have two Republicans in November, or you know, in some places in Oklahoma maybe if two Democrats, generally two Republicans being in your November ballot.
So this kind of goes against the old one and done thing that we've been seeing from time to time.
Correct it does. I mean right now in Oklahoma, more than ninety five percent of our elections are essentially decided in the primary of the runoff time they are November election. November elections don't matter in Oklahoma right now, and it's causing turnout to decrease. In fact, in the presidential elections in twenty twenty and twenty twenty four, Oklahoma was fiftieth in the nation in voter turnout, fiftieth.
In the nation, and voter turnout Oklahoma was.
Yes, woll In reality, it's because the elections don't matter. I mean, you look at the county offices we had last time. Out of all the county offices we filled more than three hundred statewide, there was only one that was what political scientists say was an election of consequence. In November, only one race in the entire state from sheriff, clerk, county commissioners was decided by less than ten points in November.
Everything else was decided earlier, I mean, and we had some real anomalies down in Carter County, which is are and more. Only two Republicans filed for sheriff. They got the exact same vote count in that Republican primary in June. No Independent could vote, no Democrat could vote, and it's a small group of Republicans, but they tied. And so but instead of allowing more people to vote, they drew a name out of a hat. That's how they picked
a sheriff. And I just don't think that's the best way to run a county, run a state.
This is interesting.
So when does this question that come up on the ballot, Well, that's.
Yet that's yet to be determined. We're still kind of at early stages. But it is such a paradigm shift where we're wanting to talk to folks about it. It's it's been challenged at the Oklahoma Supreme Court. We filed our initiatives, so we have not yet collected signatures. We hoped to like signatures later this year, and our goal is to be on the November twenty sixth ballots.
Well, okay, very good. So you're talking to people. I know that.
I know that you're going to a lot of different civic clubs and one here in particular in Bartlesville.
Tell us about that.
Yeah, I'm going to be at the Daybreak Rotary at Second Crossing. I think it's two fifteen East Second Downtown at seven am on Friday morning. We're all be able to spend more time explaining what our system is and answering anybody's specific questions they have.
Now, some folks are going to conflate this with another thing that Alaska does, where the well we'll have a whole herd of candidates and sometimes it just kind of looked weird. Is this anything like that?
Now? Now that's called rank choice.
Rank choice. I lose. I couldn't remember the phrase.
Yeah, yeah, that's but that's now, that's not what they said. Everybody will vote for one person, just like we had the day and what it might sound strange, the reality is every municipality in our state uses this type of system where you you know, if you have a mayor's election or city council election, you know, you go and you vote, and then if nobody gets a majority of the top two, then face off in the next round. That's really all we're doing. So it's not that strange.
Now ours is different from that, and that we will still have party labels. Whatever party you're registered with will be shown, so the voters have that information.
Got it? Got it? Got it?
Well?
You know I can tell you right now, media people meaning that the volks who do digital ads, radio, TV and even the archaic print folks are saying, bring it on because they get two elections instead of one.
Well, I think, you know, I'm just being that's good, no, but I mean I think it hits their real point here is that every voter is going to get more information, and I think that higher information flow is important. I mean, the reality is right now, three to five percent of the people are making all the decisions. You know, just rough numbers here, a state senator represents ninety thousand.
Individuals, and if you.
Get three thousand votes in a primary you're going to win. I don't think you can find a single case if somebody can more than three thousand votes and not winning that primary. And that's only you know, that's a that's just three and a half percent of all the folks. And so this leads to more civic engagement. There are a few states that use a system like this, Louisianay and one that's kind of similar to it Washington State. I'm not certain about Hawaii. It could be, but it
leads to higher voter turnout, greater participation. And I think fundamentally we're at a crisis in this nation and the state where we have such little faith in our institutions. It's because I think so few people are engaged and involved. I think the higher involvement and engagement will be a piece of rebuilding that faith and everything that.
We have very good. I've had some people kind of tug at my.
Coat tails and say, well, you know what this is it gives a party that doesn't feel like it's being represented a chance to pick. What they would feel is the less, you know, the least vigorous of the candidates. You know, somebody who might be a little too leaning a certain way, but the way you're phrasing it, this gives people, all people a choice.
Right, And I think that argument would be accurate if it were if we were proposing that semi open primary. We talked about what they do in Texas or someplace elf. But that's not all we're looking at here. So I understand that confusion. I'm not sure all of it, all of that criticism is legitimate. I think there are some folks that understand it. Would still like to promote that talking point. Sure, I mean that's not what we're doing.
Very very good.
So once again, Daybreak Roadary seven o'clock this Friday, and that is a crossing second right here in Bartlesville and our hometown got from no one A will be there and you'll be answering some questions and of course giving you know, some factual things about this, much like we've done right here.
Now.
Is there a website or other places online people can perhaps to look this up and maybe do some reading before they come in so they can ask you some questions.
Yeah, yeah, you can just look for yes on eight thirty six website and also Facebook page. Probably the easiest way to do that, just look for yes on eight thirty six dot com or Google Google Yes, stay question eight thirty six any say, as long as you get the eight thirty six in there, you'll you'll be able to find it, all right.
That sounds pretty darkn good. So that's that's all we got. And uh, you know, I appreciate you being with us here today and talking to us about the eight thirty six. I want to thank you very much for being here with us. It's a pleasure having you on board. Can't wait to see you. Thank this Friday.
Thank you for the opportunity, appreciate it.
Thank you for