Assessing General Government in Oklahoma

General government agencies help make all other functions of government possible. Without these agencies the state cannot make laws, conduct elections, collect revenue, pay its bills, hire employees, or explain and account for what it has accomplished. 

It is difficult to measure accomplishments of most general government activities. For most of the non-elected officials in this functional area, the goal is to provide effective service while minimizing diversion of resources from the agencies that provide direct services.

Here are a few indicators of where general government in Oklahoma stands today.

Election Performance

Source: MIT Election Data + Science Lab

The Election Performance Index evaluates each state’s election performance on 17 indicators every two years. On the overall score, Oklahoma ranks above just one state, and fell from 44^th to 50^th between 2008 and 2018. The state’s rank on wait times and share of eligible voters who are registered has fallen, while there’s been little change in the rank for turnout. As of the 2016 election, Oklahoma was not one of the two states allowing online voter registration, but for the 2020 election it will meet many of the requirements of such a system and the state’s ranking may improve.

Financial Performance

Source: George Mason University, Moody’s Investors Services, Standard & Poors, Pew Charitable Trusts

Oklahoma performed well in the George Mason University study of state fiscal condition. The state ranked in the top half in four of five categories, performing best in long-run solvency (ability to pay bills in the future) and trust fund solvency (ability to pay retirement benefits and bond payments). The state’s overall 2.00 score was the 5^th best, on a scale where zero was average, –1.97 (Illinois) was the lowest, and 3.48 (Nebraska) was the highest. Oklahoma’s rank improved from 9^th in the five years this project operated.

Moody’s Investors Service rates Oklahoma’s bonds Aa2 and Standard and Poors Corporation rated the state AA in 2020. Both ratings indicate the state’s bonds are in the middle range of credit-worthiness. Ratings consider the state’s economy, financial position, governance, and debt levels. Moody’s rating has improved since 2009, while Standard & Poors slightly downgraded the state.

Oklahoma was tied for 40th in tax revenue volatility in 2017, according to Pew Charitable Trust’s scoring of the states. Each state’s overall volatility score is based on year-to-year percent change of its total tax revenue adjusted for all known tax changes, and a higher score (lower rank) means the state’s revenue changes a lot from year to year. Our score of 7.1 was higher than the average state score of 5.0.

Employee Compensation

Source: Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services, Pew Charitable Trusts

Oklahoma compensates state employees well below the market, and turnover is increasing in response. State employees now fall 22 percent below their market value in pay and 20 percent below in total compensation, which includes pay and benefits, as compared to 17 and 7 percent, respectively in 2010. Turnover has climbed from 11 to 17 percent in that time.

However, the state has made significant progress in funding employee retirement systems. The state’s retirement systems, which cover teachers, firefighters, state and local police officers, wildlife employees, judges, and state employees, increased their funding ratios from 62 percent, ranking 48^th, in 2007 to 72 percent, ranking 24^th, in 2018. The increase reflects strong investment performance, increased state funding for retirement, and rare cost of living adjustments for retirees.

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