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In The Know is your daily briefing on Oklahoma policy-related news. OK Policy encourages the support of Oklahoma’s state and local media, which are vital to an informed citizenry. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. Some stories included here are behind paywall or require subscription. Subscribe to In The Know and see past editions.
New from OK Policy
What’s on the ballot for the August 25, 2026 elections in Oklahoma?: Oklahoma voters will head to the polls for a statewide election on August 25, 2026. Here’s an overview of what’s on the ballot, and you can find your sample ballots and polling place through the Oklahoma Election Board’s OK Voter Portal. All Oklahoma voters, regardless of political party, can vote on the two state questions appearing on the ballot. There will also be primary runoffs and several cities across Oklahoma will hold municipal elections on local offices and ballot measures. [OK Policy]
Oklahoma News
What to know about Oklahoma State Question 844 and its impact on public schools: Many Oklahoma business leaders see a five-year property tax exemption for new or expanding manufacturers as a key tool to boost the state’s economy. But reimbursing local government entities for the cost of that program consistently goes over budget, requiring the state to make an additional appropriation at the end of the legislative session. [KOSU]
- From OK Policy: Fact Sheet for SQ 844: Amending Certain Tax Revenue Reimbursements SQ 844 Explainer Video
Should Oklahoma voter identity requirements be in the state constitution? Voters will decide in August: SQ 846 would enshrine Oklahoma’s voter identification law — an issue heavily pushed at the federal level by President Donald Trump since he returned to the White House in 2025. State law already requires voters to show proof of identity before casting their ballots. State Question 846 would add that requirement to the state constitution and allow lawmakers to specify those ID requirements. [The Oklahoma Eagle]
- ¿Debe la Constitución de Oklahoma exigir identificación para votar? Los votantes decidirán en agosto. [The Oklahoma Eagle]
- From OK Policy: Fact Sheet for SQ 846: Voter ID Requirement Amendment
Cyclosporiasis cases jump to 300 in Oklahoma; experts worry more foodborne outbreaks are ahead: As cyclosporiasis cases have increased to about 300 in Oklahoma and at least 4,200 nationwide, food safety leaders across the U.S. are concerned the next foodborne illness outbreak could be much worse. [KFF Health News]
- Cyclosporiasis cases in Oklahoma climb past 300, health officials report [The Oklahoman]
DOJ launches federal investigation into Broken Arrow over mosque denial, zoning laws: The U.S. Department of Justice has launched an investigation into how Broken Arrow’s zoning laws treat religious land uses following the city council’s January rejection of an application to build a mosque in the city. [The Oklahoma Eagle]
- DOJ launches investigation after Broken Arrow denied mosque proposal [Tulsa World]
- Document: Read the DOJ letter to Broken Arrow on probe into denied mosque proposal [Tulsa World]
Water wars: Oklahoma residents fight for lake water: Some Cedar Lake residents say their idyllic lifestyle has been threatened by a well-connected political family, whose decision to erect a dam on a tributary feeding the lake has slowly caused levels to dramatically drop and have begun drying up the water wells it feeds. [Oklahoma Voice]
Federal Government News
Oklahoma could land $50 billion nuclear campus in energy push: Why history raises concerns: Oklahoma is one step closer to getting a new nuclear campus. Oklahoma is up against finalists Utah, Tennessee, Louisiana and Idaho. Up to three states will be chosen, and since it is still early on, it isn’t clear where that campus will be built. The state is making a lot of promises, similar to the ones Kerr-McGee Corporation made 50 years ago. [KOCO]
- Massive federal nuclear project could land in Oklahoma [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma named among five state finalists for ‘nuclear lifecycle innovation’ campuses [Tulsa World]
DHS removes interview requirement for asylum seekers, possibly speeding removals: Federal asylum officers can deny interviews to asylum seekers and send them immediately to an immigration judge, speeding up deportation proceedings, under a rule U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services published Tuesday. [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma’s newest multimillionaire U.S. senator reveals stock trades: Alan Armstrong, the man appointed by Gov. Kevin Stitt to Oklahoma’s vacant U.S. Senate seat, received more than $68 million from The Williams Companies in 2025, according to a financial disclosure report. [The Oklahoman]
Voting and Election News
Here’s How an Under-the-Radar Court Decision Could Bolster Oklahoma’s Political Parties: Experts say a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling will shift Oklahoma’s campaign finance landscape, with political parties playing a more prominent role in campaigns. More candidates will have to toe the party line to get elected, said a political science professor at Oklahoma State University. [Oklahoma Watch]
From ballots to ballets: What happens to leftover campaign cash when politicians lose or leave?: Political donors hope their campaign contributions hoist politicians to victory. However, politics produces a lot of losers, and those donations can ultimately end up in a nonprofit’s coffers or even the state’s general fund. [The Oklahoma Eagle]
Notarizing democracy: Why Oklahoma makes absentee voters take an extra step: For most Oklahoma voters who cast absentee ballots, notarization is not optional. Before a ballot can be mailed to county election officials, the voter must appear before a commissioned notary, present identification and sign the absentee ballot affidavit in the notary’s presence. Oklahoma remains one of only a handful of states to require notarization for absentee voting, making an already less-common voting method more complicated than in much of the country. [Focus: Black Oklahoma via The Oklahoma Eagle]
Snapshot: Election Guide: This publication is a collaborative journalism project designed to help Tulsa voters make informed decisions ahead of fall elections set for Aug. 25 and Nov. 3. The project also includes a free voter guide featuring candidate information, key election details and voting resources. [Tulsa Flyer]
Election Roundup
- KFOR sits down with both Republican state superintendent candidates for in-depth conversations [KFOR]
- Republican state superintendent candidate Robert Franklin says experience sets him apart from opponent [KFOR]
- Democrat Jasmine Thomas hopes lived experience will propel her to Oklahoma Senate seat [KOSU]
- District 5 city council candidates talk about policing, blighted properties and drones at forum [Tulsa Flyer]
- City Council District 5 candidates discuss public safety, blighted buildings at forum [Tulsa World]
Editorial: Elections are secure. We have real problems to tackle: This nation faces many pressing problems that should be on the agenda for serious nonpartisan discussion, but way, way down the list should be obsessing about the security of our election systems. [The Oklahoman Editorial Board]
Education News
The clock is ticking for TPS to figure out how to cut $12M. Everything is on the table: The Tulsa Public Schools superintendent is now charged with cutting $12 million from the district’s operational deficit by June 2028. Her plan to do so is due in October. [The Oklahoma Eagle]
Paula Lewis resigns from OKCPS chairperson post: Less than halfway through her current four-year term in elected office, Oklahoma City Public Schools Board of Education Chairwoman Paula Lewis has resigned after moving her residence outside the district’s boundaries. [NonDoc]
- Paula Lewis resigns from Oklahoma City school board after historic tenure [Oklahoma Voice]
- Longtime OKCPS Board of Education Chair Paula Lewis to resign [The Oklahoman]
As a new Oklahoma school year begins, optimism is high: A new school year is beginning across Oklahoma — a very consequential year for students, teachers, school administrators, government officials and taxpayers. [The Oklahoman]
Health News
As national death rate dips, some states did better than others: The nation’s death rate may have fallen to a historic low last year, but not all states have shared equally in the success. And the low ebb may reflect the effects of past health care expansion efforts that are threatened by today’s Trump administration moves to curtail Medicaid expansion and cut funding for rural hospitals. Oklahoma’s death rates are up 5% from 2015. [Oklahoma Voice]
Justice System News
Nine charged as state shuts down OKCity Crisis Nursery charity: Nine people have been charged as part of an embezzlement scheme at OKCity Crisis Nursery, a nonprofit touted as a resource for children and families in crisis. [The Oklahoman]
Jury trial for murder defendant Richard Glossip reset to December: The third murder trial for former death row inmate Richard Glossip has been reset to December. Glossip, 63, remains free on a $500,000 bond that was posted in May with help from celebrity Kim Kardashian. [The Oklahoman]
Community News
Tulsa Food Not Bombs continues its mission to feed the unhoused despite legal pressures: Tulsa Food Not Bombs is a collection of locals who believe in mutual aid and systemic change. The group meets each Wednesday for what they call a “sharing” – providing meals and other resources for Tulsa’s unhoused. This is more than a community meeting – it’s a protest against war and hunger. One volunteer said the City of Tulsa has been giving them a hard time. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Local Headlines
- Yukon city leaders still contemplating proposed data center [KFOR]
- Bixby City Council full again after appointing mayor, vice mayor, Ward 4 councilor [Tulsa World]
- Tulsa County fires its IT director, eliminates another IT position [Tulsa World]
- Jesus House aims to move to former hotel building, cut meals [The Oklahoman]
- Four resignations: Only one person remains on Inola Planning & Zoning Commission [KJRH]
Quote of the Day
“I think it’s a little disingenuous to say, ‘Well, we shouldn’t have to give them that money,’ because the local district didn’t get to say, ‘We want to waive those property taxes or not waive them.’ (The five-year property tax exemption for manufacturers) is a state program. And there was a commitment when that state program was created to hold the taxing entities harmless for that.”
-Pryor Public School Superintendent Lisa Muller, talking about the impacts of SQ 844 that will be on the ballot on Aug. 25. SQ 844 would let the state legislature change the way it pays back local schools and communities for some manufacturing property tax exemptions. School and city leaders across the state are concerned that lawmakers might not fully cover the local revenue lost through this program.
- From OK Policy
Number of the Day
4.9%
Increase in Oklahoma’s age-adjusted death rate from 2015 to 2025, which was the nation’s third highest during this period behind New Mexico and Iowa. Public health officials are concerned that increases may reflect the effects of past health care expansion efforts that are threatened by today’s Trump administration moves to curtail Medicaid expansion and cut funding for rural hospitals. [Stateline analysis of Center for Disease Control data]
Policy Note
Preventing Voter Intimidation by Federal Agents at the Polls: In May, when President Trump was asked whether he would send National Guard troops or Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to polling locations during the midterm elections, he responded that he would “do anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections; we have to have honest elections.” Several of his officials and allies have made similar comments in recent weeks and months. While no public information suggests that the federal government currently plans to deploy armed law enforcement agents to the polls in November, these statements appear designed to sow fear among voters. [Brennan Center for Justice]
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