Early Voting Surge In Oklahoma

  Secretary Paul Ziriax & the Oklahoma State Election board reports a huge increase in their Absentee voting rolls, this primary season. Republicans no longer have a majority edge in early voting, but that's far closer than 4 years ago, when Democrats had multiple challengers vying for the nomination in the Governor's race, while Republicans had an incumbent  on her way to reelection.

OK Primary: Democrats & Republicans have both seen a surge in early voting compared to 2014 Primary. More than 20K Democrats have voted (so far) during early voting vs. about 8,800 in 2014. Nearly 23K Republicans have voted (so far) during early voting vs. about 12,000 in 2014.

— Oklahoma State Election Board (@OKelections) June 23, 2018

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Paul Ziriax, Oklahoma Election Board Secretary

  This does signal an increase in Democrat voting of about 140%, while Republican voting is increased by 91%.
Tulsa County Election Board reports that 6721 ballots were cast. That's  14.3% of the early balloting, but Tulsa County makes up 16.3% of the population. So it points to a possible drop in Tulsa's impact?

OK Primary: As of 1:45PM on 06/23/18, nearly 47,000 Oklahomans have voted during the in-person early voting period. 48.6% are Republicans, 43.4% are Democrats, 7.6% are Independents, 0.4% are Libertarians. Early voting ends today at 2:00PM.

— Oklahoma State Election Board (@OKelections) June 23, 2018

SQ788 (Cannabis Medicines)

  This does serve as a general election for state question 788. The proposal would allow the physicians (MDs & DOs) to utilize Cannabis (marijuana) to treat a wide range of profound health conditions  and allow the patients to possess these medicines in outpatient care.
 The statewide polling on this issue has suggested that a heavy majority of Republicans would have to dominate the balloting if they opponents would have any chance of stopping this initiative of the people. 
Four years ago, Republicans were the outright majority of primary voters(55%). This week they are not(48.6%)

Teacher Rage

  Last April  about 1/3 of the state's public school districts shut down for a teacher demonstration. State media outlets magnified this as a movement and political operatives sought to transition the movement toward a liberal shift in the legislature.
  There may be a real impact of the staged events of the spring. But there may also be a backlash against Joy Hofmeister. Linda Murphy is challenging her in the Republican primary.  She was AWOL in April because the OEA (teachers union) largely put her in office with their dark money collusion with Fount Holland (a cofounder of AH Strategies). At least that's how DA David Prater put it, in his 2016 indictment of Hofmeister & Holland. That case is officially still being investigated, but the indictment was rescinded by Prater about a year later. Holland is working with both left-leaning politicians and (some say) he now also works with openly Democrat clients.
  Now that Holland is discredited in Conservative Republican circles, it seems he may eventually help the Democrat party try to take over the state govt.