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

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.

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.

The Oklahoma Democratic Party is working with the State Election Board to ensure independent voter access to its primary ballot after the board "blindsided" the party and said all primary elections would be closed in 2026 and 2027.

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

Independent voters in Oklahoma will not be able to participate in primary elections for the 2026-2027 election cycles, the Oklahoma State Election Board announced Wednesday.

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.

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.

Oklahoma's recognized political parties are keeping their primaries closed, according to State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax, because no political party

OKLAHOMA CITY (KSWO) - Officials with the State Election board are urging voters to update their voter registration as needed. This week, the Board mailed postcards to tens of thousands of voters asking them to update their addresses on their registration.