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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.
Voting and Election News
Unofficial election results for Oklahoma [Oklahoma Election Board]
Federal Offices
Congressional incumbents sail, Brian Bingman wins Corporation Commission seat: Oklahomans elected Republican Brian Bingman to the Corporation Commission and retained all U.S. congressional incumbents Tuesday. [NonDoc]
- Kevin Hern, Oklahoma’s other congressional incumbents find easy victories [Tulsa World]
- Incumbent Bice defeats Horn in race to represent Oklahoma in US House; US House race results [The Oklahoman]
State Questions
State questions: SQ 833’s public infrastructure districts rejected while SQ 834 passes: Voters strongly rejected State Question 833, which would have amended the Oklahoma Constitution to allow cities to create public infrastructure districts. State Question 834, meanwhile, passed easily for the measure will amend voting requirements in the state Constitution to now say that “(…) only citizens of the United States (…) are qualified electors of this state.” [NonDoc]
- Oklahoma voters reject public infrastructure districts [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma passes state question on non-citizen voting [Oklahoma Voice]
- Oklahoma passes state question that says ‘only’ U.S. citizens can vote [PBS]
Judicial Retention
Justice Yvonne Kauger narrowly ousted, Noma Gurich, James Edmondson and others retained: For the first time in state history, an Oklahoma Supreme Court justice lost her judgeship at the ballot box Tuesday. Of about 1.44 million votes cast, only 49.76 percent were in favor of retaining Justice Yvonne Kauger, just shy of the simple majority the 87-year-old needed to keep her seat on Oklahoma’s highest civil court. [NonDoc]
- Oklahoma voters opt to remove one Oklahoma Supreme Court justice [Oklahoma Voice]
- Voters appear to oust just one of three Supreme Court justices targeted by dark-money groups [The Oklahoman]
- Oklahoma voters narrowly oust one Supreme Court justice, retain two others [Tulsa World]
State Elections
Several new House, Senate members win seats in Oklahoma Legislature: Tuesday’s election swept in several new House and Senate members vying for open seats, but also proved to be a good night for incumbents. Not a single incumbent state House or Senate lawmaker lost Tuesday. [Oklahoma Voice]
- Election results for Oklahoma Senate races: New lawmakers on track to win [The Oklahoman]
- Republicans maintain their supermajority in the Oklahoma House of Representatives [The Oklahoman]
Trump, Down-Ballot Republicans Dominate in Oklahoma: For the third consecutive presidential election cycle, Donald Trump won at least 65% of the statewide presidential vote. The state’s Republican congressional delegation also swept by double-digits and every incumbent Republican state legislator secured reelection. [Oklahoma Watch]
- Oklahomans support Trump, Tulsa elects first Black mayor and more [KOSU]
- Republican Brian Bingman wins Oklahoma Corporation Commission race [The Oklahoman]
- Brian Bingman wins election to serve on Oklahoma Corporation Commission [Oklahoma Voice]
- Former lawmaker Bingman wins Corporation Commission seat; Voters oust Supreme Court Justice Kauger, retain Edmondson, Gurich [Journal Record]
- 2024 election results for Tulsa and Oklahoma [Tulsa World]
Local Elections
Tulsa: Monroe Nichols tops Karen Keith, Sims wins county post, Bush unseats Fowler: State Rep. Monroe Nichols will be the first Black mayor of Tulsa, 103 years after a mob of white Tulsans destroyed Tulsa’s Greenwood District, nicknamed “Black Wall Street.” [NonDoc]
- Nichols Elected Tulsa’s First Black Mayor [The Oklahoma Eagle]
- Nov. 5 election results for the Tulsa area [Public Radio Tulsa]
- Monroe Nichols wins in convincing fashion to become Tulsa’s 41st mayor [Tulsa World]
- Monroe Nichols defeats Karen Keith in race for mayor of Tulsa [The Oklahoman]
- Republican Lonnie Sims wins Tulsa County Commission seat [Tulsa World]
- Opinion: The victory of Monroe Nichols represents a new era for Tulsa [Ginnie Graham / Tulsa World]
Oklahoma City metro results
- Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson wins again [NonDoc]
- Results: Tommie Johnson III reelected as Oklahoma County sheriff [The Oklahoman]
- No on GO: Edmond voters reject all 3 bond propositions [NonDoc]
- Edmond voters say ‘no’ to public works bond issues [The Oklahoman]
- Moore voters support sales tax, bond in election [The Oklahoman]
- Johnson wins reelection as Oklahoma County sheriff; Edmond voters reject bonds; Yukon changes way it selects mayor [Journal Record]
Oklahoma News
Oklahoma Civil Rights Trail unveils first marker in Boley: Over the weekend, a crowd of townspeople, officials and members of the federal 400 Years of African American History Commission gathered in the Town of Boley to watch the sign’s unveiling. The trail spotlights Oklahoma’s role in the Civil Rights Movement and marks locations for people to visit and learn more about the state’s history. [KOSU]
State Government News
Records show Oklahoma Department of Corrections spends over $30,000 a year on travel: Another state agency is spending tens of thousands of your tax dollars on travel, including on airfare and hotels. State Representative Justin Humphrey says ODOC is in a state of crisis, and the agency spending more than $30,000 a year on travel is concerning. [Fox 25]
Oklahoma lawmaker proposes ending straight-party voting, but some say it could be a tough sell: Oklahoma is one of the last few states with the option to vote straight-party on the ballot, but one Democrat wants to change that. Sen. Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, is pressing the Republican-controlled Legislature to end a long-held option that allows voters to simply check a box to select all candidates of a specific political affiliation. [Oklahoma Voice]
Education News
USDA bans school lunch fees for low-income families: The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that students eligible for free or reduced price school meals cannot be charged processing fees beginning in 2027. [AP via Tulsa World]
15% of public school students have disabilities. Resources to support them can vary dramatically: For decades, many states legally refused to properly support the educational needs of children with disabilities, often putting them in institutions that did little to impart vital knowledge and life skills. This unequal treatment also burdened their families, who rarely had other options or access to resources to educate children at home. [accessiBe via Tulsa World]
Criminal Justice News
Judge OK’s surprise jail inspections, dismissing trust’s case against Health Department: State health inspectors “shall” be able to conduct surprise inspections of the Oklahoma County jail, even if they disrupt the troubled facility, after District Judge C. Brent Dishman dismissed the county jail trust’s case asking that they be forbidden access on demand. [The Oklahoman]
Economy & Business News
Here’s where voters approved a tax hike to help pay for child care: Child care was on the ballot in several cities and counties across the country. Voters in Austin, Texas, and Sonoma County, California, weighed whether to raise property taxes and sales taxes respectively to address the issue. Advocates in both communities noted a year of child care costs more than a year of tuition at the state universities located there. Voters in both places approved the ballot measures, while a similar measure in St. Paul, Minnesota, failed. [NPR via KGOU]
Opinion: Investing in recycling programs bring jobs, wealth and better environment: Recycling creates a never-ending supply of raw materials for American manufacturer. That provides for jobs, exports, money and a stronger supply chain. This reduces our dependence on foreign resources and international markets. [Cassius Clark / Tulsa World]
Quote of the Day
“Straight-party voting encourages a lack of engagement. When Oklahomans can vote without having to know the candidates or what they stand for, that’s a problem.”
-Sen. Julia Kirt of Oklahoma City, speaking about a proposal to eliminate straight-party voting in Oklahoma. Oklahoma is one of only six states that provide for straight-ticket voting. [Oklahoma Voice]
Number of the Day
53.28%
Voter turnout rate among all voting-eligible Oklahomans during the Nov. 5, 2024 presidential election. This was the nation’s lowest turnout rate for the 2024 election, and it marked the second consecutive presidential election where Oklahoma had the nation’s lowest voter turnout among eligible voters. In 2020, the voter turnout rate for eligible voters was 54.43%. [Election Lab]
Policy Note
Electoral College Overview: When Americans vote for President in the general election, they select electors who will choose the nation’s chief executive. Voters thus play an important role in electing the President, but a second step is required to finalize that choice. The U.S. Constitution places responsibility for the second step in a body known as the electoral college. This paper highlights key aspects and recent policy developments. [Congressional Research Service]
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