OKPOLICY.ORG
Three out of four Oklahoma voters didn’t vote in June’s primary. In the August runoff, four out of five stayed home. With so many not participating, blaming voters alone misses the point. Oklahomans should ask: What are we doing, or not doing, that leaves so many feeling disconnected from decisions that affect their lives?
This column originally appeared in the Journal Record on Sept. 10, 2026.
These results don’t mean Oklahomans are lazy or that they don’t care about their communities.
Most people don’t keep up with politics every day. They are too busy working, putting food on the table, caring for family, and just managing everything else life brings.
Then election season rolls around.
For those of us working in public policy or government, election day can feel like the last scene of a movie we’ve watched from the start. We know the characters, the conflicts, and the plot that brought us here.
Many voters, however, feel like they are walking into the theater halfway through that movie — and then being asked to decide how it ends. Some may not know the candidates. They might see a confusing state question and feel unsure about their choice. Others may have voted in the past but, after seeing little change, stopped believing their vote makes a difference.
Just telling people “your vote matters” isn’t enough.
Civic education should continue long after high school. Oklahomans need easy-to-understand information about what government does, how decisions are made, who candidates are, and what impact ballot questions would actually have. Schools play a part, but so do elected officials, news outlets, and civic groups.
We should also examine how our elections work. If four out of five voters are not taking part, we need to ask whether election schedules, registration, location, or procedures make the process harder than it should be. Our goal should be simple: make it easier for eligible Oklahomans to vote.
But information and access can only take us so far.
People also need to believe that showing up makes a difference. This means giving them chances to get involved between elections and making it clear how voting connects to what happens afterward.
When four out of five voters stay home, Oklahomans are telling us something even without casting a ballot.
Instead of blaming people for missing the movie, those of us who want them to participate should help them follow the story — and make sure the theater doors are open from the opening credits to the final scene.
