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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
Oklahoma SQ 847 proposes decreasing cap on property tax growth: State Question 847 is one of two measures Oklahomans can vote on during the Nov. 3 elections. If approved, it would decrease the cap on property tax growth per year. [KOSU]
- From the Oklahoma State School Boards Association: SQ 847 FAQ
- From OK Policy: SQ 847 Fact Sheet | SQ 847 Explainer Video | What’s on the ballot for the November 3, 2026 elections in Oklahoma?
Rilla Askew: Oklahoma communities have more to lose under SQ 847: Rural communities and small towns would suffer the greatest effects from SQ 847, as the tax base in these communities is limited and not easily replaceable… At a cursory glance SQ 847 might appear to offer a decrease in property taxes for Oklahoma homeowners; it doesn’t do that. In fact, its passage would most benefit wealthy corporations while it limits Oklahoma communities’ ability to govern themselves, grow at their own rate, and fund at their own discretion their public schools, libraries, and other public services. [Read the full op-ed by Rilla Askew from Norman]
Oklahoma News
Warr Acres signs agreement with ICE as enforcement surrounds OKC Metro: Multiple law enforcement agencies in counties surrounding the OKC metro have signed enforcement agreements with ICE in recent weeks. [Oklahoma City Free Press]
- From OK Policy: Entering into 287(g) agreements harms Oklahoma families and communities | Which Oklahoma counties, cities and agencies have federal 287(g) agreements for immigration enforcement?
Opinion: SQ 845 would inject partisanship into Oklahoma courts: Now, state Republican legislators, noting their party controls the Legislature and governorship, and will for the foreseeable future, want to make sure that they control the judiciary, too through SQ 845. Whereas the law currently forbids the governor from naming more than half of his six members to the Judicial Nominating Commission from any party (he seems to prefer Republicans), they want to remove this guardrail. Nothing like a thumb on the scale, eh? [Former Judge Robert Henry / The Oklahoman]
- From OK Policy: SQ 845 Fact Sheet | SQ 845 Explainer Video | Watch our State Questions Town Hall
State Government News
AG: Third Vote on Jewish Charter School Would Be Illegal: Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued a binding legal opinion on Thursday that prohibits the Statewide Charter School Board from holding a third vote on the fate of a twice-failed application for state sanctioning for Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School. [Oklahoma Watch]
Oklahoma State Department of Education requests $4.4 billion budget: A new literacy law and rising insurance costs drove a request for $123.3 million in additional funding for the Oklahoma State Department of Education. [Oklahoma Voice]
Inflation hits Oklahoma road, bridge construction: Inflation has taken a big bite into the state’s ability to maintain its roads and bridges, a legislative panel was told Thursday. [Oklahoma Voice]
Oklahoma to deploy AI in state agencies’ human resources over next 18 months: Nearly three years after Gov. Kevin Stitt‘s Task Force on Emerging Technologies released its artificial intelligence strategy for state agencies, Oklahoma is taking a step toward using AI in human resources. [The Journal Record]
Adria Berry exits OMMA as Oklahoma marijuana industry falls: The executive director of the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority, who said the regulatory agency is being painted as the “agency to blame” for the cleanup of abandoned grow sites, has announced her resignation. [The Oklahoman]
This Week in Oklahoma Politics: Mazzei campaign funding concerns, National groups funding Oklahoma’s gov race, State Questions and more (podcast): The panel talks about concerns from a Democratic lawmaker over how Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Mazzei is funding his campaign, Oklahoma’s race for governor is getting funds from national organizations and Oklahoma’s two Republican senators are taking different sides regarding President Trump’s decision to lift sanctions on Russian diesel. The trio also discusses State Question 845 to eliminate restrictions on the Judicial Nominating Committee and State Question 847 to put a cap on property tax increases. [KOSU]
Opinion: Forget tax cuts. Fix what’s wrong to spur growth, Williams CEO says: Oklahoma’s legislative leaders are getting good advice these days. The question is: will they listen and do anything different? The Williams CEO told lawmakers that what matters to companies aren’t tax breaks. It’s not multi-million-dollar incentives. It’s improving the basics. Public safety. Schools. Housing. What he summed up as “Quality of Place.” [William C. Wertz / The Oklahoman]
Federal Government News
Judge blocks DHS election operations in nine states: A federal judge on Wednesday night blocked the Department of Homeland Security from conducting election-related field operations that could sweep up U.S. citizens in nine states. [Oklahoma Voice]
Tribal Nations News
Low turnout sinks Kiowa Tribe special election on enrollment, constitutional amendments: The Kiowa Tribe announced its Oct. 17 special election, which would have amended enrollment requirements and eliminated voting thresholds, failed due to low turnout. [KOSU]
Voting and Election News
Opinion: Two simple steps can help every Oklahoma voter feel prepared: We want Oklahomans to stop accepting the idea that being last in voter turnout is simply who we are. It doesn’t have to be. We can change our habits, challenge our assumptions and build a stronger culture of civic participation — one voter, one workplace, one community at a time. [Sacra Nicholas / The Oklahoman]
Election Roundup
- How do Oklahoma gubernatorial candidates’ time in the legislature match their campaign agenda? [KOSU]
- Contrasting resumes collide in spirited race for attorney general [Tulsa World]
- Two candidates want to shape Oklahoma’s energy future. They disagree on how to regulate it. [The Frontier]
- Voters to choose whether Oklahoma’s top judges keep their jobs Nov. 3 [Tulsa Flyer]
- Mayo, Clayton to square off for OK County District 3 seat [The Oklahoman]
- Fact check: Oklahoma County candidates talk jail funding, missing money and property taxes [NonDoc]
- Christine Galbraith, Neil West compete for southwest Oklahoma district judge seat [NonDoc]
- Everything you need to know about the Oklahoma midterm elections [The Oklahoman]
- Opinion: What you need to know about the vote on Oklahoma County Jail [Melissa Walton / The Journal Record]
Education News
New accreditation rule downgrades dozens of Oklahoma districts for academics: Fifty-nine school districts, including the three largest in the state, have had their accreditation status downgraded over poor reading and math test scores. [Oklahoma Voice]
- State downgrades 67 school districts as ‘academic proficiency’ enters accreditation matrix [NonDoc]
- Tulsa Public Schools’ accreditation downgraded under new state standards [Tulsa World]
Health News
Cost of employer-sponsored health insurance plans rises again, nonpartisan survey finds: The price health insurance companies charge for employer-sponsored plans increased again this year, as did the deductible many people must pay before those plans begin covering most healthcare costs, according to a survey released Thursday by the nonpartisan health organization KFF. [Oklahoma Voice]
Garfield County student tests positive for tuberculosis: Garfield County health officials this week warned that a student at Enid Public Schools tested positive for tuberculosis. [The Oklahoman]
Construction begins on new labs in Tulsa for foundation created by Oklahoma opioid lawsuit: Oklahoma was the only state to settle an opioid lawsuit with Purdue Pharma before the company filed for bankruptcy in 2019. The unique $270 million deal established an independent foundation focused on addiction research and treatment in Oklahoma. Seven years later, its leaders are building office and laboratory space in Tulsa. [Public Radio Tulsa]
Do more than 1 in 10 of those under 65 in Oklahoma lack health insurance?: Yes. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 15.9 percent of adults aged 19 to 65 and 11.5 percent of Oklahoma’s overall population are uninsured as of 2024. [Oklahoma Watch]
Justice System News
Swadley to pay $1.2 million, serve no more jail time in Oklahoma barbecue fraud case: Brent Swadley will not serve any more jail time for a scheme to defraud Oklahoma taxpayers while operating his barbecue restaurants in state parks, prompting calls for the sentencing judge to resign. [KOSU]
- Swadley to serve no prison time, ordered to pay $1.2M for defrauding Oklahoma tourism department [Oklahoma Voice]
- Brent Swadley gets suspended sentence, must pay $1.2M in restitution [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma AG demands judge resign after Swadley’s suspended sentence [The Oklahoman]
- Brent Swadley avoids prison, Attorney General calls for judge’s resignation [KFOR]
Second judge recuses from Tulsa County District Attorney grand jury petition effort: A second judge assigned to oversee the petition effort to prompt a grand jury investigation of Tulsa County District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler and his office has recused from the case without offering a cause. [Tulsa World]
Housing & Economic Opportunity News
Residents at YES! Communities park in Oklahoma experience “serial evictions,” rent-to-own pressure: Repeated eviction filings towards a single household are so common that experts have coined a term for them: “serial eviction.” Landlords may file serial evictions with the intent of forcing the tenant to pay rent and added fees rather than to actually remove them. While it is not possible to determine from the public record whether Yes! is involved in this practice in Oklahoma City, research from The Eviction Lab found that many “property managers use the courts to collect rent and late fees, while passing legal costs onto tenants.” [Private Equity Stakeholder Project]
Economy & Business News
Sand Springs data center opponents drop lawsuit challenging project: Opponents of a proposed Sand Springs data center have dropped one of three lawsuits challenging the development. [Tulsa World]
Community News
‘Focus: Black Oklahoma’: SoonerCare budget cuts, Osage immersion school closure & more (podcast): This episode of Focus: Black Oklahoma features stories on federal budget cuts affecting SoonerCare, the closure of Osage Nation’s language immersion school and more. [KOSU]
Quote of the Day
“Down deep, our current Republican legislators just don’t like the nominating commission at all, despite fine Republican leadership in setting up the original commission. They have never understood that judges are not supposed to be political, they are not supposed to ‘represent their constituents.’ Judges are supposed to follow the law, and sometimes people that come before the court are not particularly good or popular people, but they are correct under the law.”
-Robert Henry, a former judge and Oklahoma attorney general, writing about how SQ 845 would inject more partisanship into a court system that needs to be impartial. SQ 845 would change the rules for who can serve on Oklahoma’s Judicial Nominating Commission that selects the state’s top judges. Voters will decide SQ 845 in the Nov. 3 election. [Robert Henry / The Oklahoman]
Number of the Day
4
Number of days that Oklahoma provides for early voting, which starts Wednesday, Oct. 28. Of the 47 states that permit in-person early voting, only Kentucky provides fewer days than Oklahoma with three days of early voting. [Ballotpedia]
Policy Note
In Decade-Long Trend, States Expand Early, Absentee and Mail-In Voting: Over the past decade, early and absentee/mail voting has been one of the leading topics of state legislative action on election administration. Overall, the trend has been to expand absentee and mail voting laws. Many states adopted temporary changes in 2020 to accommodate voting during the COVID-19 pandemic; some of those changes have been made permanent while others expired. [National Conference of State Legislatures]
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