OCPA column: A successful session

A successful session

By Jonathan Small

The 2025 legislative session has provided many policy wins for Oklahomans, and it is evidence of the intentional efforts by lawmakers to pass meaningful reforms.

The success of this session owes much to the leadership of Gov. Kevin Stitt, House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, and Senate Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton, as well as the hard work of many lawmakers.

House Bill 2764 cuts Oklahoma’s top income-tax rate from 4.75 percent to 4.5 percent and puts the income tax on a gradual path to zero. This will help Oklahoma remain competitive with other states while encouraging more investment and job creation in Oklahoma. State Sen. Micheal Bergstrom and state Rep. Mark Lepak, in particular, deserve credit for their work on this issue.

Small: The political fringe should not control petition process

The political fringe should not control petition process

By Jonathan Small

Supposed advocates of “good government” often decry low voter turnout, arguing that more citizens need to be involved in our political process.

Yet, for some reason, many of those same advocates hold a very different view when it comes to Oklahoma’s initiative petition process. When efforts are made to put a question before all Oklahoma voters, they are fine with largely excluding the vast majority of the state from the petition process.

Fortunately, state policymakers are not so shortsighted.

OCPA praises approval of initiative-petition reforms

OCPA praises approval of initiative-petition reforms

OKLAHOMA CITY (April 8, 2025)—Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs President Jonathan Small today praised members of the House Elections and Ethics Committee for advancing common-sense initiative petition reforms.

“Senate Bill 1027 would increase public transparency and also require that proposed ballot measures receive support from Oklahomans across the state before being placed before voters,” Small said. “These are common-sense reforms with broad appeal. House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, state Senator David Bullard, and Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton, in particular, deserve praise for taking on this important issue. It’s notable that the main opponents of these reforms want Oklahoma to adopt a California-style election system that has often excluded Republicans from statewide elections in that state. Sometimes, you really can judge a man by his enemies.”

Sen. Bullard: Initiative petition reform needed to protect OK from outside influences

Bullard: Initiative petition reform needed to protect Oklahoma from outside influences

(Oklahoma City, April 7th)  Oklahoma’s initiative petition process was designed to empower the people, allowing residents to bypass the Legislature when lawmakers fail to act in the public’s best interest. Unfortunately, what was once a tool for direct democracy by Oklahomans and for Oklahomans has increasingly been manipulated by out-of-state interest groups and wealthy donors to push left-wing policies in a deeply conservative state. We’re now hearing that the groups that poured money and external resources into campaigns to legalize marijuana, expand Medicaid and push soft-on-crime policies are now among those strategizing on how to legalize abortion on demand through the ballot box and force blanket primaries on our parties. 

Coleman bill to create recall elections process clears State Senate

If Sen. Coleman and his House author follow through on what he says here, it will be an improvement over his initial version of the bill, which was much more of a fox-guarding-the-hen-house affair (though, I'm not convinced Oklahoma needs this).

Coleman bill to create recall elections process clears Oklahoma Senate

OKLAHOMA CITY (March 28th) – The Senate has approved legislation from Sen. Bill Coleman, R-Ponca City, to create a recall process for state elected officials to be removed from office. 

Before the legislation passed 31 to 15, Coleman vowed to make major changes to the bill in the coming weeks.

Senate Bill 990 currently establishes a process for the Oklahoma Legislature to initiate the recall of a statewide elected officer through a joint resolution, but Coleman said he plans to scrap that portion of the bill. He added that he wants to alter the bill so the recall process would be driven entirely by members of the public through an initiative petition. 

Small: Initiative petition transparency an important reform

Initiative petition transparency an important reform

By Jonathan Small

Oklahoma’s initiative-petition process allows voters to determine major policy issues, but some system flaws have become apparent. That’s why Oklahomans should support bringing greater transparency to the petition process.

Under Senate Bill 1027, the initiative-petition process would have to include clear language, transparent reporting of funders, and buy-in from a wider swath of Oklahoma.

None of these ideas should be controversial.

Will the Oklahoma State Senate re-legalize abortion in an effort to appease the Left?

Last week, Republicans on the Oklahoma Senate Health and Human Services Committee passed a measure that would re-legalize and expand abortion in limited (for now) circumstances, in addition to allow for "the use, prescription, administration, procuring, or selling of any type of contraception [if] administered before the time when a pregnancy could be determined through conventional medical testing." This presumably would allow the permanent reintroduction of abortion-inducing early pregnancy drugs like RU-486/Mifepristone.

This measure (SB 834), bizarrely promoted by Tony Lauinger of Oklahomans for Life, is an effort to counteract perceived future attempts by pro-abortion forces to get a state question on the ballot by initiative petition. The thought process seems to be, "Let's put some exceptions back into law so we don't appear to be too radical on banning abortion."

Special election for state question legalizing recreational marijuana set for March 7th

Brace yourselves -- recreational marijuana is coming to a ballot near you in March. Enough signatures were, unfortunately, collected via initiative petition to place the measure up for statewide vote. Interestingly enough, by this being delayed until March, OklahomaWatch points out that this November will be the first general election in "nearly a century" that a state question will not be on the ballot.

If there's anything Oklahoma needs more of, it's more pot. [insert eyeroll emoji]

GOVERNOR STITT ISSUES PROCLAMATION TO DECLARE SPECIAL ELECTION FOR SQ 820

Legislators file initiative petition for state question on freezing property tax for seniors

Former State Rep. David Dank would have been all on board with this proposal, which was a longterm goal of his when he passed away in 2015.

Legislators File Petition to Add Senior Homestead Fair Cash Value Freeze State Question to Ballot

OKLAHOMA CITY – A trio of state representatives recently filed an initiative petition to add an amendment to the state Constitution that would freeze the homestead fair cash value for individuals aged 65 and older.

If enough signatures are gained (177,958 are needed), State Question 822 could be on the Nov. 8 ballot this year. The initiative petition was filed June 24 by Reps. Max Wolfley, R-Oklahoma City; Eric Roberts, R-Oklahoma City; and Robert Manger, R-Oklahoma City. A challenge period ended July 15.

Fair: Pot on the ballot will lead Oklahoma to the wrong type of Top 10 State

From longtime conservative activists and blogger/columnist Steve Fair:

POT ON THE BALLOT!

by Steve Fair

Four years ago, Oklahoma passed State Question #788 57% to 43% which legalized medical marijuana.  The poorly crafted initiative petition was vague and lacked detail about implementation and oversight.  The state legislature has spent a great deal of time since 2018 putting meat on the 788 bones.  Legislation regulating growing and distribution has resulted in the Sooner state becoming a magnet for grow operations and dispensaries.   Oklahoma has more weed growers (9,000+) than California, a state with ten times the population.  One reason is the cost of $2,500 to get a license in Oklahoma, as opposed to $100,000 in bordering Arkansas.  There is also no cap on the number of dispensaries or grow operations in the state, but that may be changing in the future.  About 12% of Oklahomans have a ‘medical marijuana’ card.  Clearly much of the pot grown in Oklahoma is being shipped out of the state- which is in violation of state and federal law.  If all the weed grown by Oklahoma growers were being consumed by Sooner residents, the dispensaries would be selling it by the bale, not the joint.    

Citizens' group announces 3 new petitions to reform Norman city government

3 NEW PETITIONS FILED: Unite Norman Announces Reform Package to Improve City Government

NORMAN (October 20th) – Unite Norman, the grassroots group aiming to restore accountability and return city government to the people, announced today a sweeping package of reforms for creating more accountability and transparency for the people of Norman. It will also put forth a proposal to increase professionalism with regard to the way city council conducts its business.

This afternoon, Unite Norman unveiled a reform package that includes: 

Unite Norman: we have more Recall signatures than votes that elected Norman mayor

Unite Norman Announces They’ve Surpassed in Signatures the Number of Votes that Elected Mayor Clark
Grassroots Effort Achieves More than 6,700 Signatures So Far — A Greater Number than the Votes that Put the Mayor in Office“Overwhelming support” from Normanites to recall the mayor, says founder

Norman (July 20th) — Unite Norman — the grassroots group behind the effort to recall the mayor and city council for defunding the police and not upholding the will of the people — announced today they are well on their way to getting the recall effort on the ballot.

The grassroots group shared that they have now garnered more than 6,700 signatures — that’s more voter support than Mayor Clark was actually elected with.

“The people of Norman are speaking overwhelmingly,” said Russell Smith, the founder of Unite Norman. “We’re only about a third of the way there, and certainly have more work to do, but we’re strongly encouraged by the overwhelming response of support from the voters.”

Initiative petition modernizations pass House Rules Committee

Initiative Petition Modernizations Pass House Rules Committee

OKLAHOMA CITY – The process for state questions would be more transparent and modernized under two bills passed by the House Rules Committee on Tuesday.

House Speaker Charles McCall, R-Atoka, authored House Bills 3826 and 3827 to improve the initiative and referendum petition processes used to place state questions on the ballot in Oklahoma.

“These common sense improvements make the petition process more transparent and functional for citizens,” McCall said. “Petitions for state questions are increasingly popular, and government needs to handle these petitions more transparently and efficiently than it does now.”

HB 3827 addresses a lack of transparency in campaign finance for state questions.

The current definition of “state question” used by the Ethics Commission says a state question becomes a state question when the governor sets an election date, which allows campaigns for or against state questions to avoid disclosing donations and expenditures until that time. State question campaigns will often have been accepting donations and spending money for months or even years before an election date is set by the governor.

HB 3827 says a state question becomes a state question when the Secretary of State assigns a state question number, which typically occurs shortly after the petition is filed.

“While some initiative petition groups truly are grassroots citizens, many are out-of-state, well-funded, sophisticated political machines. The public deserves to know the finances and interests behind these campaigns when they are considering signing petitions, just like they deserve to know the same of candidates,” McCall said. “Transparency helps voters make better choices.”

HB 3827 treats state question campaigns more like candidates for office, who are required to begin disclosing fundraising and expenditures once they have raised at least $1,000, regardless of whether they have filed for office.

To modernize the petition signature counting process, HB 3826 authorizes the Secretary of State to use electronic signature counting equipment and software so petition signatures can be cross referenced with the voter registration database maintained by the Election Board. Only registered voters are permitted to sign initiative and referendum petitions.

“It shocks most Oklahomans to know that, in the year 2020, signatures are hand-counted and not cross referenced with voter rolls,” McCall said. “There needs to be a more efficient, accurate way to count signatures than the antiquated process used today.”

HB 3826 requires the initiative and referendum signature gathering form to include each signatory’s printed first name, last name, zip code, house number, and month and day of birth. Any entry not matching three of these five criteria during cross referencing with the voter database would not be counted.

The current petition form collects a signature, printed name, address, city and county. Signature gatherers sign an affidavit attesting to the accuracy and eligibility of the signatures gathered. No further verification is done.

“This bill tightens up a very lax process to improve accuracy,” McCall said.

The bills were presented in committee by Rep. Terry O’Donnell, R-Catoosa.

“Changing the Constitution or state law with a state question is a major action that should not be taken lightly. These bills give voters stronger assurances of transparency and process integrity that are befitting of the magnitude of the matters they may see on their ballot,” O’Donnell said.

The bills now advance to the House floor. If the bills become law, they would take effect in November 2020, meaning they would not affect state questions under consideration this election cycle.