Ballot Access News (excerpt):
On March 31, the Oklahoma House passed SB 896 by a vote of 69-15. It makes it easier for a party to remain on the ballot. Current law removes parties from the ballot when they fail to poll 10% for the office at the top of the ballot (president in presidential years, and Governor in midterm years). The bill lowers that to 2.5%. Thanks to E. Zachary Knight for this news.
Last term, the law was changed in Oklahoma to ease the signature requirement from 5% of the previous statewide vote to 3%, as a compromise from 1% as originally proposed. 3% is still among the highest hurdles of any state, but the reduction was sufficient to allow the Libertarian Party petition this year to become the first successful party petition in Oklahoma since 2000, except for the billionaire-financed Americans Elect in 2012 which failed to run any candidates. The 16 years since the last time Oklahoma had a successful party petition that actually resulted in any candidates on the ballot is the longest period that any state has kept all parties except Democrats and Republicans off the ballot since Ohio back in the 1950s and 60s, and that Ohio law was found to be unconstitutionally difficult.