The Oklahoman has this story about bills in the Oklahoma legislature to move the primary from July to June. The story mentions that the filing deadline for individuals to file for the primary would move to April. However, the story does not mention that the bills also move the deadline for a party to qualify for the ballot from May 1 to March 1. The newspaper story title has a typo; obviously the newspaper meant to say “filing period”, not “failing period.”
Oklahoma legislators, and other Oklahomans who follow current affairs, seem unaware that early petition deadlines for new parties to qualify for the ballot are unconstitutional, especially when the state requires a very large number of signatures. In most states, newly-qualifying parties nominate by convention, not by primary, so states with early primaries are still able to have reasonable deadlines for parties to get on the ballot. Oklahoma is one of the states that insists that even newly-qualifying parties must nominate by primary.
I have yet to read a persuasive case for any petition for access to the ballot. What is a write-in vote but a one signature petition for ballot access AND a vote on the day of the election? Therefore, all petitioning is simply a scheme to suppress voter choice.
Oklahoma is perversely inconsistent in banning write-in votes AND frequently moving pre-election petitioning goal posts.
Write-in ban = blatant violation of 14th Amdt, Sec. 2.
Equal nominating petitions — since each election is NEW and has ZERO to do with any prior election – EXCEPT in the number of voters in the prior election in the various election areas.