'Uncommitted' protest votes: Does Oklahoma have 'no preference' option?

Cheyenne Derksen, The Oklahoman
·1 min read
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Across the nation, grassroots groups have led protest votes against frontrunner candidates like President Joe Biden or Donald Trump by checking the "uncommitted" or "no preference" box in at several Super Tuesday states.

But in Oklahoma, ballots don't have a "no preference" choice and also don't allow write-ins.

What are these protest vote campaigns and how do they impact elections?

Why are people voting 'uncommitted'?

Many "uncommitted" vote campaigns are protests toward candidates. The goal, organizers say, is to demonstrate how many people support, or don't support, political issues.

These campaigns saw success last week in Michigan, CBS reports, with over 101,000 ballots directing two delegates away from Biden. And last month in Nevada, Nikki Haley was beaten by "none of the above."

The origins of the ballot option "None of the Above" in the United States can be traced to when Nevada adopted "None of These Candidates" as a ballot option in 1975, 2News Nevada reports.

What states have 'no preference' choice on ballots?

The specific ballot language for the uncommitted vote varies: Minnesota voters have the "uncommitted" vote option on their primary ballots, Colorado has a "non-committed delegate" option, while Massachusetts and North Carolina have a "no preference" option.

In 2024, the following states have uncommitted voting options:

  • Alabama

  • American Samoa

  • Colorado (Democratic primary only, as Noncommitted Delegate)

  • Iowa (Democratic primary only)

  • Kentucky

  • Massachusetts (as No Preference)

  • Michigan

  • Minnesota (Democratic primary only)

  • Missouri

  • Montana (as No Preference)

  • Nevada (as None of these candidates)

  • New Jersey (Democratic primary only)

  • New Mexico (as Uncommitted delegate)

  • Rhode Island

  • Tennessee

  • Washington (Democratic primary only)

  • Wisconsin (as Uninstructed Delegate)

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: 'No preference' voting: Do Oklahoma ballots have 'uncommitted' option?