SECTION 230:15-5-79. Political organizations

(a)   A political organization is an organization or political group that at one time has been a recognized political party under Oklahoma law but that subsequently failed to retain its recognized status as provided by law. Such a group's status as a political organization shall continue for four years from the date that the State Election Board revokes recognition of the political party as provided by law. A political organization may regain its status as a recognized political party only by following the statutory procedure for forming a new party. A group may acquire the status of political organization only by first becoming a recognized political party and subsequently losing recognition as provided by law.

(b)   Applicants for voter registration are entitled to select political organizations as their political affiliations. Voters whose political affiliations are changed from that of a decertified political party to Independent as outlined in 230:15-5-78(b) shall be entitled to apply to change their voter registrations to reflect their affiliation with the political organization. Voters who select a political organization as their political affiliation are not Independent voters and are subject to the conditions outlined in (c) of this Section. Voters indicate their affiliation with a political organization by writing in the name of the organization in the space for "Other" in Section 2 on the Oklahoma Voter Registration Application form or in Section 7 on the Federal Voter Registration Application form.

(c)   Political organizations shall not have the right to conduct primary elections, to run candidates for office, or to have name recognition on any ballot. A voter affiliated with a political organization shall not be entitled to file as an Independent candidate for any federal, state, county, or partisan municipal office and shall not be entitled to vote for the candidates of any political party at primary or runoff primary elections. Voters affiliated with a political organization may vote only on nonpartisan races and questions at primary and runoff primary elections. Voters affiliated with political organizations shall receive the same ballot as all other voters at General Elections and may vote for any candidate or party on such General Election ballot.

(d)   Within 60 days after a political organization ceases to exist, the Secretary of the State Election Board shall cause the political affiliation of all voters registered in that political organization to be changed to Independent in MESA. After completing the process to change the political affiliations of the political organization's voters, the State Election Board staff shall prepare and distribute to each County Election Board a report listing all affected voters in the county. After receiving the list of voters from the State Election Board, the Secretary of the County Election Board shall follow the same steps outlined in 230:15-5-78(c).

[Source: Added at 16 Ok Reg 522, eff 1-1-99 (emergency); Added at 16 Ok Reg 2404, eff 7-1-99; Amended at 28 Ok Reg 1132, eff 7-1-11]