Tag: oklahoma
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Oklahoma adopts legislation restoring voting rights to felons after a pardon or commutation of a sentence
On May 13, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (R) signed HB 1629, a bill that restores voting rights to people convicted of a felony after receiving a pardon or commutation of their sentence. The legislation had bipartisan sponsorship and the final version of the bill passed the Oklahoma State Senate 41-0 on April 16. It then…
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Oklahoma adds Barclays as restricted business
Oklahoma Treasurer Todd Russ (R) announced on May 3 that Barclays boycotted fossil fuel companies under the state’s legal definition and was therefore restricted in its ability to do business with the state. Ballotpedia tracks support for and opposition to the environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) investing movement. To learn more about arguments for,…
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Oklahoma bans ranked-choice voting, joins six other states in prohibition
On April 29, Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt (R) signed HB 3156 into law, banning the use of ranked-choice voting (RCV) in the state. The new law makes Oklahoma the seventh state to ban RCV, and the second state to do so this year after Kentucky did so earlier in the month. Every state that has…
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Oklahoma voters to decide constitutional amendment to allow for public infrastructure districts within municipalities
The Oklahoma State Legislature passed a constitutional amendment to create a process for establishing public infrastructure districts within municipalities. Voters will decide on the amendment on Nov. 5, 2025. Public infrastructure districts would be governed by a Board of Trustees, which would have the authority to levy a special assessment of up to 10 mills…
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Primary competition remains steady in Oklahoma’s legislative races for third straight election cycle
There are 125 seats up for election this year in Oklahoma’s legislature—24 in the Senate and 101 in the House. There are 51 total contested primaries in 2024 (six Democratic and 45 Republican). This is in line with the numbers from the past two cycles (49 in 2022 and 52 in 2020). Incumbents facing primary challengers follow a…
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Eighteen candidates are running for Oklahoma’s five U.S. House seats—a decade-low
This year’s filing deadline for candidates running for Congress in Oklahoma was April 5, 2024. Eighteen candidates are running for Oklahoma’s five U.S. House districts, including six Democrats and 12 Republicans. That’s 3.6 candidates per district, less than in the previous three election cycles. There were 5.6 candidates per district in 2022, 5.4 candidates per…
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Six candidates file to appear on Oklahoma’s Democratic presidential primary ballot
The filing deadline for the Oklahoma Democratic presidential primary passed on Dec. 6, 2023. Six candidates filed to appear on the March 5, 2024, ballot. In order to file, candidates had to either pay a $5,000 filing fee or submit a petition containing 5,000 signatures. The following candidates filed: Biden, Phillips, and Williamson have filed…
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Eight candidates file to appear on Oklahoma’s Republican presidential primary ballot
The filing deadline for the Oklahoma Republican presidential primary passed on Dec. 6, 2023. Eight candidates filed to appear on the March 5, 2024, ballot. In order to file, candidates had to either pay a $5,000 filing fee or submit a petition containing 5,000 signatures. The following candidates filed: Binkley, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum,…
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Pensioner sues Oklahoma over ESG restrictions
Former Oklahoma state employee Don Keenan is suing the state, alleging that the Oklahoma law prohibiting state contracts with financial firms that boycott oil, gas, and other types of companies violates the U.S. Constitution and federal law. Keenan says he thinks oil and gas are important economically but argues the law, in his view, imposes…
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Oklahoma City will vote on measure to levy a 1% sales tax to fund new Oklahoma City Thunder basketball arena on Dec. 12
Voters in Oklahoma City will decide on a ballot measure that would levy a 1% sales tax to fund a new arena for the city’s NBA basketball team, the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 1% sales tax would be levied for a period of six years beginning on April 1, 2028, and would replace the existing…