(The Center Square) – Voter turnout was down for the 2022 midterm elections when compared to 2018 numbers, according to the Oklahoma State Election Board.
Preliminary numbers show that 50.3% of registered voters cast ballots this week, compared to 56.15% in 2018. Voter registration increased from 2018 to 2022 from 2.1 million to nearly 2.3 million, according to the board.
The election results show that Republicans benefitted more from the more than 480,000 "straight party" voters. Nearly 70% of one-party ballots cast were Republican while just over 29% were for Democrats. Just over 1% of straight party voters were Libertarian.
Republicans were the big winners in Oklahoma's elections. Gov. Kevin Stitt cruised to reelection with more than 55% of the vote in what was predicted to be a tighter race with Democrat Joy Hofmeister.
Republican Ryan Walters won Hofmeister's soon-to-be former job as state superintendent of public instruction by taking nearly 57% of the vote compared to Democrat Jena Nelson's 43%.
Republicans also did well in federal elections. Markwayne Mullin kept retiring Jim Inhofe's U.S. Senate seat red by winning nearly 62% of the vote over four challengers. U.S. Sen. James Lankford won more than 64% of the vote, also defeating four others.
Republicans held on to all five U.S. House seats.
County election boards are meeting Friday to certify results. The state election board will meet Tuesday to certify the statewide results, according to a news release.
"For election officials, the General Election is our Super Bowl," said Paul Ziriax, election board secretary in the release. "No election is perfect, but overall this one went pretty smoothly."
via Oklahoma's Center Square News