Oklahoma Representative Sean Roberts (R-Hominy) has a bill pending that moves the deadline for candidates to file in a primary from April to January. He has recently amended his bill, HB 2338, to provide that candidates may file in the primary of a new party according to the original April deadline. This amendment was logically necessary, because the petition deadline for new parties to qualify is in March. Without the amendment, new parties that qualified near their petition deadline could not have had anyone running in their primaries.

The bill still forces independent candidates to file a declaration of candidacy in January, however, which is almost certainly unconstitutional. Thanks to E. Zachary Knight for the news about the amendment.