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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.
State Government News
Drummond still wants smelter lawsuit in state court: Days ahead of his Tuesday Republican gubernatorial runoff showdown with former state Sen. Mike Mazzei. Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond again called for his lawsuit challenging a planned aluminum smelter near Inola to be sent back to state court. [Tulsa World]
Capitol Insider: State employee health insurance premiums increasing in 2027: The Oklahoma Employees Insurance and Benefits Board has approved increases for state employees’ health insurance premium rates that go into effect January 1st. [KGOU]
Opinion: Oklahoma courts need to get with the 21st century and allow photos and video: Last month, I found myself scratching my head – and not for the first time – that no cameras were in the courtroom to allow Oklahomans to witness the sentencing of restaurant owner Brent Swadley. While the courtroom was packed with spectators, one thing was noticeably missing — cameras and recording devices. That’s because our state’s judicial system stubbornly refuses to adopt healthy processes that allow for increased public access, understanding and accountability by routinely allowing recording and photography. [Janelle Stecklein / Oklahoma Voice]
Federal Government News
Trump’s court workarounds push limits but are within legal bounds, experts say: But even after the Supreme Court ruled against him, President Trump is forging ahead and using what some legal observers describe as “creative lawyering” to find alternative routes to push his agenda, even as public support fades. [Oklahoma Voice]
Tribal Nations News
Osage community worries about language, culture education after Dapsoka closure: The Osage Nation executive branch closed its private school dedicated to language and culture immersion. The decision has since sent community members and leaders scrambling to find other alternatives. [KOSU]
Voting and Election News
Voters set to determine winner of GOP governor primary, outcome of controversial state questions: Voters go to the polls Tuesday to pick nominees for various partisan posts, including governor, state superintendent and U.S. Senate. Voters will be asked to decide the fate of two state questions lawmakers put on the ballot. The race generating the most attention is the Republican primary runoff for governor. [Oklahoma Voice]
- 5 things to know about state questions on Tuesday’s ballot [Tulsa World]
- From OK Policy: What’s on the ballot for the August 25, 2026 elections in Oklahoma?
Are Oklahomans switching parties to vote in the GOP runoff election?: In Oklahoma, where Republicans hold such a tight grip on politics and primaries are exclusive to party members, some people have started to feel that changing their party affiliation is the only way to make a difference with their vote. [The Oklahoman]
- Political notebook: Polling suggests continued state GOP dominance [Tulsa World]
Election Roundup
- ‘I tell you the truth, even when it’s hard’: Gentner Drummond makes final push in GOP runoff [NonDoc]
- ‘Policy, personality, politics’: Mum on loan details, Mike Mazzei touts tax plan, Trump support in GOP runoff [NonDoc]
- Oklahoma Republican gubernatorial candidates address strained tribal relations [KOCO]
- Republican runoff for governor puts policy differences in focus [Tulsa World]
- Previewing the GOP Runoff for State Superintendent [Oklahoma Watch]
- With James Taylor ‘proposing consolidation,’ Robert Franklin pans ‘inappropriate process’ [NonDoc]
- Fact check: Labor commissioner candidates talk #okleg records, regulations [NonDoc]
- We fact-checked GOP candidates for Oklahoma labor commissioner. Here’s how they did. [The Frontier]
- A look at state questions, down-ballot offices [Tulsa World]
- Oklahoma Natural Gas franchise agreement with Tulsa on ballot Tuesday [Tulsa World]
- Fallin, former statewide officials blast Oklahoma GOP for choosing sides in runoffs [OK Politics Today]
- The top races in the August runoff election: Oklahoma voter guide [The Oklahoman]
More GOP party platforms, including Oklahoma’s, include anti-IVF language. Is surrogacy next?: In the past two years, Republicans in Idaho and four other states have added specific anti-IVF language to their state party platforms, and some anti-abortion groups, including Students for Life of America and Live Action, have become increasingly outspoken in their opposition to both IVF and surrogacy. The Oklahoma Republican Party has adopted language that it opposes the destruction of human embryos. [Oklahoma Voice]
Education News
Another new CEO hired to lead Oklahoma regional university system: The board that governs six of Oklahoma’s regional universities has hired its third new chief executive officer in two years. [Oklahoma Voice]
Meet the young teachers and corps members dedicating their time to Tulsa Public Schools this year: More than 70 young adults are dedicating the year to Tulsa’s students through the AmeriCorps program and another 22 Teach for America corps members who are leading classrooms. As Tulsa pushes for better academic outcomes for students and futures for families, they want to be part of the change. [Tulsa Flyer]
Health News
More Oklahoma children are entering kindergarten with vaccine exemptions, CDC reports: New CDC data from last school year shows Oklahoma kindergartens are seeing more students with vaccine exemptions. Most were non-medical, representing 7.2% of Oklahoma kindergartners. That’s about a 33% increase from the previous year. [StateImpact Oklahoma via KGOU]
Justice System News
Who’s Calling?: Oklahoma prison inmates confirmed they worked in a prison call center, placing calls on behalf of insurance companies attempting to poach business from competitors and making political calls as primary elections were underway across the country. [Oklahoma Watch]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Cities turn to AI to speed housing permitting: New housing projects can sometimes stall out as a developer applies to city or county planning boards and goes through cycles of inspections, reviews and approvals. Now, cities are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence to address one of the most persistent sources of housing permitting delays: incomplete applications. And two new streams of federal money aim to help them. [Oklahoma Voice]
Economy & Business News
State Farm Oklahoma hail claims: 7 key takeaways from newly released internal documents: Newly released documents reveal how the insurer tracked savings targets, silenced agent complaints, and cut roof-replacement approvals by more than half, all while telling policyholders that nothing had changed and profiting billions. [News 9]
Oklahoma unemployment rate increase nation’s second highest: Oklahoma generally has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the nation, but increases over the past year are the second-most in the nation and raised the state’s rate to 4.3% — 0.2 points above the national average. [Tulsa World]
Drought leading to disaster declarations for Oklahoma farmers, ranchers: So far, it’s the 4th-driest and 3rd-hottest August recorded in state history, according to the Oklahoma Mesonet. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has also declared 61 primary counties and 16 continuous counties as a natural disaster area for drought. [KOSU]
Local Headlines
- Duncan officer accused in fatal hit and run death [The Oklahoman]
- Piedmont City Council to vote Monday night on proposed data center [News 9]
- Muskogee resident organizes town hall to inform neighbors about incoming data centers [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Tulsa’s data center moratorium expires this year. Here’s what might be next. [Tulsa Flyer]
- Tulsa is dissolving its city-county planning commission. What takes its place? [Tulsa Flyer]
- Growth projections drive ONE Transit’s push for commuter rail in OKC [The Oklahoman]
Quote of the Day
“We like to see our government working and working for us and not necessarily all of the performative politics.”
-Emily Stacey, a political science professor at Rose State College, talking about some factors that appeal to moderate voters who switched to Republican registration this year. [The Oklahoman]
Number of the Day
5.7%
The percentage increase of registered independents in Oklahoma from July 2025 to July 2026, which is more than twice the 2.5% increase in all registered voters during that same period. Republican registration increased by 2%, while Democratic registration increased by 1%. As of July, 53.2% of Oklahoma voters are registered as Republican, while 25.3% are registered Democrat and 20.6% are registered independent. [Oklahoma State Election Board]
Policy Note
New High of 45% in U.S. Identify as Political Independents: A record-high 45% of U.S. adults identified as political independents in 2025, surpassing the 43% measured in 2014, 2023 and 2024. Meanwhile, equal shares of U.S. adults — 27% each — identified as either Democrats or Republicans. The recent increase in independent identification is partly attributable to younger generations of Americans (millennials and Generation X) continuing to identify as independents at relatively high rates as they have gotten older. In contrast, older generations of Americans have been less likely to identify as independents over time. Generation Z, like previous generations before them when they were young, identify disproportionately as political independents. [Gallup]
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