The Oklahoma State Legislature referred a constitutional amendment related to the nomination of judges within the state to the Nov. 3, 2026, statewide general election ballot. On April 9, 2026, legislators passed the amendment, which would change the structure of the state's Judicial Nominating Commission.
The ballot measure would restructure the Judicial Nominating Commission, which nominates candidates for the state supreme court to the governor when vacancies occur, by:
- requiring appointments to be made in accordance with contemporary congressional districts;
- allowing commissioners to serve two consecutive six-year terms;
- allowing at-large members to serve a term of two years;
- removing a provision prohibiting members of the commission from being licensed attorneys;
- allowing individuals to serve on the commission even if they have family members who are licensed attorneys; and
- removing a provision limiting the commission from having more than three members from one political party.
As of 2026, Section 3 of Article VII-B of the Oklahoma Constitution
provided for certain members of the Judicial Nominating Commission to be from the congressional districts as they existed at the time of adoption of the section, and could not be a licensed attorney or have family members who are licensed attorneys.
A simple majority vote in both legislative chambers during a single legislative session is required to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. The amendment was introduced as House Joint Resolution 1024 (HJR 1024) on Feb. 3, 2025.
In the state House, HJR 1024 passed 78-13, with 13 Republicans voting against it. Eight members — four Democrats and four Republicans — did not vote. In the state Senate, HJR 1024 passed 35-8, with 7 Democrats and one Republican voting against it. Six members — one Democrat and five Republicans — did not vote.
The amendment was sponsored by Rep. Anthony Moore (R-57) and Sen. Todd Gollihare (R-12).
The Judicial Nominating Commission was established in 1967 by an amendment to the state constitution. The amendment, State Question 447, also provided for the selection and tenure of state supreme court justices and appellate court judges. State Question 447 appeared on the ballot on July 11, 1967, and was approved, receiving approximately 52% of the vote.
The commission consists of 15 members, who are selected in the following ways:
- six non-lawyers are appointed by the governor;
- six lawyers are elected by members of the bar from their respective congressional districts, as they existed in 1967;
- one is appointed by the Senate President Pro Tempore;
- one is appointed by the Speaker of the House; and
- one is appointed by the other members of the commission
HJR 1024 is the fourth statewide ballot measure to be certified in Oklahoma for 2026.
On June 16, 2026, voters in Oklahoma will decide on one initiated state statute — State Question 832 — which would increase the minimum wage to $15 by 2029.
On August 25, 2026, voters will decide on two measures, State Question 844 and Senate Joint Resolution 47 (SJR 47). State Question 844 is an initiated state statute that would require the state legislature to establish a methodology for determining the reimbursement amounts that each local government or local district will receive for revenues lost due to the state's property tax exemption for manufacturing plants. SJR 47 is a constitutional amendment that would require voters to provide proof of identity when voting in any election in the state and would allow the state legislature to define proof of identity.
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