House advances bill barring registered voters from not picking a party

Oklahomans who fail to select a party affiliation would not become registered voters under a bill heading to the Senate despite concerns that it will disenfranchise thousands of voters without their knowledge. 

House Bill 3722, authored by Rep. Denise Crosswhite Hader, R-Piedmont, would make selecting a party affiliation or independent designation a requirement to complete voter registration. Currently, voters who do not select one of those are automatically registered as independent. 

Calling it an “election integrity” bill, Crosswhite Hader said she doesn’t think these thousands of voters intended to be registered as independents. The state shouldn’t “assume” their intent, she said. 

“For me, voting is a right and a privilege, but very much a responsibility,” she said. “And so when that responsibility falls on that potential voter, they need to complete their application.”

Oklahoma House advances bill barring voters from not picking party