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STATE OF OKLAHOMA
1st Session of the 59th Legislature (2023)
HOUSE BILL 1916 By: Fugate
AS INTRODUCED
An Act relating to elections; amending 26 O.S. 20 21,
Sections 1-102 and 1-103, which relate to primary and
runoff primary elections; bypa ssing primary and
runoff primary elections under cert ain circumstances;
and providing an effective date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 26 O.S. 2021, Section 1 -102, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 1-102. A. A Primary Election shall be held on the last
Tuesday in June of each even -numbered year, at which time each
political party recognized by the laws of Oklahoma shall nominate
its candidates for the offices to be fi lled at the next succeeding
General Election, unless otherwise provided by law. No candidate 's
name shall be printed upon the General Election ballot unless such
candidate shall have been nominated as herein provided, unless
otherwise provided by law; pro vided further that this provision
shall not exclude the right of a nonpartisan candidate to have his
or her the name of the candidate printed upon the General Election
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ballots. No county, municipality or school district shall schedule
an election on any d ate during the twenty (20) days immediately
preceding the date of any such primary election.
B. If a political party has two nominees for office and no
other political party has a nominee for the office, in lieu of a
Primary Election, the nominees shall b e placed on the official
ballot as candidates for the office at the General Election.
C. If a political party has more than two nominees for office
and no other political party has a nominee for the office, the two
nominees receiving the highest number of votes at the Primary
Election shall be placed on the official ballot as candidates for
the office at the General Election, regardless of whether any
nominee received a majority of all votes cast for the office.
SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 26 O.S. 2021, Section 1 -103, is
amended to read as follows:
Section 1-103. If Except as otherwise provided by subsection C
of Section 1-102 of this title, if at any Primary Election no
candidate for the nomination for office of any political party
receives a majority of all votes cast for all candidates of such
party for the office, no candidate shall be nominated by such party
for the office, but the two candidates receiving the highest number
of votes at such election shall be placed on the official ballot as
candidates for such nomination at a Runoff Primary Election to be
held on the fourth Tuesday of August in the same year. No county,
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municipality or school district shall schedule an election on any
date during the twenty (20) days immediately pr eceding the date of
any such Runoff Primary Election.
SECTION 3. This act shall become effective November 1, 2023.
59-1-5498 LRB 12/05/22