<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2Ag9sQ_1GoAdja800" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2Ag9sQ_1GoAdja800" width="1200" height="630" >A narrow victory in Tuesday’s election highlights a shift in opinion among Oklahomans young voters Oklahoma didn’t falter in its historic red hold on Tuesday’s mid-term election, but results show a trend in democratic voter turnout during the last four elections. Unofficial results project Republican candidate Mike Mazzei defeated Democrat Cyndi Munson by a narrow 6% of votes in the general election for Oklahoma governor. Although Oklahoma didn’t follow the national blue wave that swept across the nation during midterms, the support for Munson highlights a shift in political opinions. Rhema Coleman, a senior stratcomm major, stayed up early into Wednesday morning to see the projected results of the midterm elections, and spoke to the excitement of what the close election meant for young voters. “I think it's really, really inspiring. I think it's really, um, it gives me a lot of hope for what is next to come for presidential [election] and even more of our local elections as well.,” Coleman said. “It shows that the young people are listening. It shows that they're ready to vote. They want their voices heard and I think, especially saying that Texas flip, I think historically, the blue shift, we, like we saw a blue wave, but we have a nice little tide here in Oklahoma.”In 2014, Republican candidate for governor Mary Fallin received 55.8% of votes, defeating her democratic candidate by 14.8%. In 2018 the margin was slightly smaller with Former Gov. Kevin Stitt receiving 54.3% of total votes, defeating his democratic opponent by 12.1%Coleman said she expects this to be a welcome change for Oklahomans. “I think it will be a welcome change just for just some relief in terms of what we're experiencing now in terms of our economy and things like that,” she said. There was another slight increase again in the 2022 mid-terms, in which Former Gov. Kevin Stitt received 55.4% of votes, defeating his democratic opponent by 13.6%. In the 2026 election that took place early this week, Trump-endorsed Mazzei and received only 52% of votes, while Munson received 45.9%.“We have so much to be proud of [and] so many accomplishments across the state of Oklahoma to celebrate tonight,” Munson said in an address to her supporters. “We, this campaign, has received the largest percentage from a democratic candidate for governor in an open seat in over 30 years.”Coleman shared her perspective on the difference in voting for generations when it comes to the atmosphere of social media.“I think we are educating ourselves in terms of who's on our ballot and um, what Oklahoma needs, but I do think that there's room to grow not only as students, but us, the students being the educators for our parents,” Coleman said. “Sometimes our parents or grandparents may not understand the weight of their vote or the weight of whatever policy change that comes. I think it's very important for students to have open conversations with their elders.  And I think it's really telling. The college part of our years is like we're just now becoming adults and you know, it's that weird middle line. So you have to be able to stand on what you know is a fact.”She said this is reflected in how she thinks students are looking at things from open minded perspectives.“I think students are taking a real, no rose colored glasses look as to what their county has to offer, what their state has to offer and what their nation has to offer,” Coleman said. “And I think, with the wave of social media, the conversations are able to happen on a wider scale. And I think it's giving, at least my generation Gen Z, the confidence they need to go and then have those conversations with their parents. And I know some people say, like ‘Oh my gosh, the boomers have to get out of their way,’ but I don’t think that has to happen; I think we just need to have real conversations with the people that we are about, about the policies that we want to see.”Payne County, only rural Oklahoma county to vote blue For Oklahoma Governor results, Oklahoma County, Cleveland County, Tulsa County and Payne County were the only four out of the 77 counties to vote blue, according to abcnews.Coleman shared her perspective on what she thinks this means for her generation. “It was very inspiring to see, like, like we mentioned before students are making their voices heard, and I think it's very, very telling that – I know it was our age range here and people on this campus going out to the polls,” Coleman shared. “And no matter what their political affiliation is, they did their civic duty and went out and did it.  In terms of the blue wave, I think it's just showing that people are kind of waking up from the Republican Party in terms of the party now. I will say, I do remember when politics was very boring and I could just kind of let it drone on and it did not necessarily mean anything, but I think because it's so loud in our face, whoever's going to make the change needs to be in office.”Audrina Parks, a freshman pre-med biology major, said she thinks it was also some of the millennial generation who thought to themselves, ‘I am a Republican, but I don’t want to pay $7 for gas.’And as she thought about what it means for Oklahoma, especially with Payne County being the only rural community to vote blue, she shared the sentiment with Coleman of it being a reflection of how Gen Z is coming into their own in regard to politics. “We are in a college town, I feel like it's pretty split about Democrat and Republican,” Parks said. “I feel like because we [Gen Z’s] are just now coming into this adulthood and doing all this stuff ourselves and stepping into this economy that everyone's just voting for what's better for them.  Democrat or Republican, just whichever side betters them, I feel like everyone's a little bit more open-minded to changing their political views to whatever benefits them the best.”</div></body>

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A narrow victory in Tuesday’s election highlights a shift in opinion among Oklahomans young voters. Oklahoma didn’t falter in its historic red hold on Tuesday’s mid-term election, but results show a trend in democratic voter turnout during the last four elections. Unofficial results project Republican candidate Mike...

A shift in Oklahoma’s voter turnout

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A narrow victory in Tuesday’s election highlights a shift in opinion among Oklahomans young voters. Oklahoma didn’t falter in its historic red hold on Tues

A shift in Oklahoma’s voter turnout

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