Presidential Primary Candidate Filing Begins Today

Two Oklahoma City women cast their votes at North Side Christian Church in the Super Tuesday presidential preference primary election on March 3, 2020. (Whitney Bryen/Oklahoma City)

By Keaton Ross | Democracy/Criminal Justice Reporter

Ready or not, Oklahoma’s presidential primary season kicks off this week.

Candidate filing for the Oklahoma Presidential Preferential Primary began this morning at 8 a.m. and runs through 5 p.m. Wednesday. The filing fee is $5,000, more than twice what’s required for a U.S. Senate or gubernatorial candidate. In lieu of the filing fee, candidates may provide a petition with at least 1,000 signatures of registered voters from each of Oklahoma’s five congressional districts.

Candidate filing for statewide, federal, judicial and legislative seats is usually quite a spectacle. Most show up in-person at the State Capital to fill out the required paperwork, and reporters take advantage by staking out the filing area and stopping public officials for questions.

As you might expect, the state doesn’t require in-person filing for presidential candidates, who can opt to file by mail or send an agent to deliver their paperwork. You can keep track of who’s filing on the Oklahoma State Election Board website.

Oklahoma’s presidential filing requirements are relatively lax compared to other states. To make the primary ballot, presidential candidates must be registered with the Federal Election Commission and have expended at least $5,000.

The primary election is set for March 5 with polls open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. The registration deadline is Feb. 9. You can use the OK Voter Portal to check your voter registration status.

Have questions about this election or coverage from Oklahoma Watch you’d like to see? Let me know at Kross@Oklahomawatch.org.

What I’m Reading This Week:

Oklahoma Carries Out Final Execution of 2023: The execution was delayed about an hour while Phillip Hancock, strapped to a gurney, waited while the process was held up for legal reasons and while awaiting a chaplain to arrive. [The Frontier]
Launch of Oklahoma Private School Tax Credit Program Delayed: The Tax Commission announced the delay Thursday night, mere hours before families were meant to begin applying for the refundable tax credit program Friday morning. Instead, applicants can submit their forms starting at 2 p.m. Wednesday at parentalchoice.ok.gov. [Oklahoma Voice]
HD 39 Republicans: Six Answer Questions Ahead of Dec. 12 Election: Republican candidates seeking central Edmond’s open House District 39 seat answered questions regarding their motivations to seek legislative office, tax cuts, initiatives to improve educational outcomes in the state and what they believe are the biggest issues facing the district. [NonDoc]

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The Allen Gamble Correctional Facility in Holdenville, formerly known as the Davis Correctional Facility, is a medium security men’s prison that can house up to 1,670 inmates. (Whitney Bryen/Oklahoma Watch)

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