UPDATED: Keep Oklahoma Relevant In 2016, Don't Change The Primary Date!

On the first hearing date, Sooner Politics
publisher, David Van Risseghem testified to
the committee and the measure was then

tabled by the sponsor.
  Election Secretary, Paul Ziriax looks on.

Sooner Politics opposes the ill-conceived notion to leave the Super Tuesday Regional Primary Event.

SB233, currently in the House Elections & Ethics Committee, would vacate Oklahoma's key role in choosing the next presidential nominees.

The nation's biggest presidential primary event of 2012
was Rick Santorum's Feb.9th rally at ORU, in Tulsa, OK

Muskogee Politico concurs and published the following explanation:

Oklahoma should not move Presidential Primary back

On March 3rd, the Oklahoma State Senate passed SB233 by a vote of 39-2. The measure would move Oklahoma's presidential primary from the first Tuesday in March to the fourth Tuesday in March. This would move the 2016 primary from March 1st to March 22nd, 2016.
Moving the primary back to March 22nd would allow - under RNC rules - for the state's delegates to be awarded in a winner-take-all format, like they were in 2008, as opposed to the proportional method used in 2012. The argument is that by moving our election date back to allow for winner-take-all, Oklahoma will have more influence on the primary. I disagree.
Moving from March 1st to March 22nd would put 15-20 additional states ahead of us in the schedule. As things stand right now, with a March 1st date for Oklahoma, only about five or six states are ahead of us (IA/NH/SC/NV plus maybe CO/NC). On March 1st, around 10-15 states are likely to vote, including large states like Texas and Florida.
If we move our primary to March 22nd, about half of the states will have already voted, and the nominee will likely be decided. Staying at March 1st allows us to have some relevance in the race.
I urge the State House to vote SB233 down. Contact your legislators here and ask them to voteagainst SB233, and keep a March 1st presidential primary. ~ Jamison Faught, Muskogee Politico

David Van Risseghem

UPDATE:
March 25th, 2015
Sooner Politics Editor, David Van Risseghem and Tulsa 912 President, Ronda Vuillemont-Smith testified to the Oklahoma House Elections and Ethics Committee, today.
The committee did amend the proposal after testimony from the State Election Board Secretary made it clear that the only workable date after March 1st, 2016, is April 5th.
Then Vuillemont-Smith and Van Risseghem testified strongly against both the "winner-take-all" proposal and the greatly delayed date.
The new House Sponsor, Rep. Banz, of the OKC metro area; seeing that he did not have sufficient committee support, used a parliamentary procedure to delay a vote until at least the next committee date of April 1st, 2015.
Committee members are:

• Chairman Wesselhoft (R)
• Vice Chairman Condit (D)
• Rep. Banz (R)
• Rep. Dank (R)
• Rep. Joyner (R)
• Rep. Rogers (R)
• Rep. Perryman (D)