• Voters cast ballots according to party affiliation in a primary.vote america image by Pix by Marti from Fotolia.com
  
  Primary elections take place when two candidates of the same party, whether Democrats or Republicans, declare their intentions to seek election. In Oklahoma, which has a closed primary system, voters can only cast ballots according to party affiliation. If only one candidate for a party declares their candidacy, no primary is necessary.
  
  

Independent and Unaffiliated Voters

• Independent or unaffiliated voters in Oklahoma do not have an automatic right to vote in primaries. However, in odd-numbered years, the political parties decide whether to allow independents to cast primary ballots. Regardless, independents are allowed to vote in the general election.
  
  

Declaring a Party

• Oklahoma voters may change party affiliation by submitting a new voter registration application. For independents and unaffiliated voters, the same process applies and is the only way they can vote in a primary, if deadlines are met. Voters must also fill out a new registration for address or name changes. Voters can only register and vote in the polling district in which they reside.
  
  

Run-Offs and Write-Ins

• More than two candidates of the same party may run in a primary. However, more than half the votes are required to win. If no candidate receives a majority, the top two face a run-off in which the majority vote decides the winner. No write-in candidacies are recognized in Oklahoma.