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What’s up this week at Oklahoma Policy Institute? The Weekly Wonk shares our most recent publications and other resources to help you stay informed about Oklahoma. Numbers of the Day and Policy Notes are from our daily news briefing, In The Know. Click here to subscribe to In The Know.
This Week from OK Policy
Fact Check: Will Oklahoma families save $800 a year from eliminating the state portion of the grocery sales tax?: This week, Gov. Kevin Stitt said that Oklahoma would again not be participating in a summer food program for hungry schoolchildren, suggesting it wasn’t necessary because “Governor Stitt delivered for families by signing the grocery tax elimination bill, saving Oklahomans an average of about $800 per year at the grocery store.” We took a closer look at the governor’s claim about savings from the elimination of the state portion of the grocery sales tax. [OK Policy]
Policy Matters: More leaders should quash election conspiracies: It might sound corny, but every vote I cast serves as an expression of my beliefs. It also affirms my belief in our American way of life. That’s why I was saddened to hear that some Oklahomans say their vote won’t matter because they say they’ve heard — without evidence — that elections are “rigged.” We need to stop this cancerous notion from spreading further. [Journal Record]
New federal grant should strengthen state policy for youth justice efforts (Capitol Update): The Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA) has received a $1.1 million grant from the National Institute of Justice to examine the effects of Oklahoma’s legislative and administrative reforms in the field of juvenile justice, which have resulted in an increased utilization of community-based services. [Steve Lewis / Capitol Update]
Weekly What’s That
SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program)
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly known as food stamps, is the nation’s largest public food assistance program. Its primary purpose is to increase the food purchasing power of eligible low-income households in order to improve their nutrition and alleviate hunger. The program has a strong counter-cyclical economic impact, as more people become eligible for support during economic downturns and recessions.
SNAP is paid for by the federal government and administered jointly by the US Department of Agriculture and state human services agencies (Oklahoma Department of Human Services).
To be eligible for SNAP, a household must have gross monthly income (income before any of the program’s deductions are applied) at or below 130 percent of the poverty line and net income (income after deductions are applied) at or below the poverty line. Some states also subject recipients to an assets limit. The great majority of SNAP recipients are low-income families with dependent children, seniors, and persons with disabilities. Adults aged 18-49 without a disability have long been subject to a work requirement that restricts them to a maximum of three months of SNAP benefits, except during times of high unemployment or during federal public health emergencies. Under the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 that ended the national debt-ceiling crisis, the work requirement will phase up from age 49 to age 54 by October 2024.
In Oklahoma, 408,350 families and 855,165 total individuals received SNAP benefits at some point in FY 2022, according to OKDHS. The program paid out a total of $2.2 billion in benefits in FY 2022, a huge increase from the $944 million in benefits issued in FY 2020, due to increased benefit allocations that were part of COVID-relief measures passed by Congress. The average daily benefit per-recipient was $7.07. The USDA announced a new formula for calculating SNAP benefits that increased the maximum SNAP benefit by 21 percent effective October 2021.
Look up more key terms to understand Oklahoma politics and government here.
Quote of the Week
“The data shows that running this program benefits Oklahoma children, families, and the economy. Refusing this program fails to bring tens of millions of our own tax dollars back to the state. Governor Stitt’s office’s statement puts political ideology over the wellbeing of 400,000 Oklahoma food-insecure children.”
– Chris Bernard, President/CEO of Hunger Free Oklahoma, wrote in a letter responding to Gov. Stitt’s decision to opt out of Summer EBT for the second year in a row. [Hunger Free]
Editorial of the Week
Efforts to end Oklahoma’s exclusionary primary elections are underway, and voters ought to get behind the effort. It would allow all voters regardless of party affiliation a say in their representatives. It would improve choices on the ballot and inspire better voter participation.
Oklahoma taxpayers pay for the current primary elections, which is unfair to the tens of thousands of voters who are unable to cast a ballot because they are of a different party or unaffiliated. It’s generated an overall apathy and candidates catering to an extreme end of party politics.
The state ranks last in the nation in voter participation. More than 70% of legislative seats in the last three election cycles have been decided in primaries or were uncontested. The restrictive primary system is partly to blame.
Other states found better primary systems generating more candidates to offer diverse viewpoints to the governance. State party leaders and some in elected office to balk; they fear a loss of power. Because of this, change will likely only happen through a grassroots, citizen-led effort.
Oklahoma United announced it plans to seek a citizen petition to amend the state constitution for unified ballot with partisan labels, as reported by Corey Jones of the Lee Enterprises Public Service Journalism Team. Its goal is to have a ballot question in place for the November 2026 election.
The proposed unified ballot works similar to municipal and school board elections with some key differences. One would be candidates listing their party affiliation, so elections remain partisan. Another would be the top two candidates going to a general election, regardless of the number of ballots separating the two.
So, the general election could be two people of the same party or of differing parties. If only two candidates file to run, then they would go directly to the November general election because the primary would be unnecessary. This would affect U.S. congressional, statewide legislative, statewide executive, county offices and district attorney races.
Nothing stops a political party from putting forth a candidate. If the party is strong, then that endorsement would hold influence. But, taxpayers won’t be paying for their choice, and other candidates from the party would be allowed on the ballot.
Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum is among several leaders in the state supporting the idea. As a city councilor and mayor, he ran on an open ballot.
“I say this as a Republican who is not afraid of competing with Democrats and independents in the competition of ideas — nor should any Republicans in Oklahoma. If we have confidence in what we believe in and the message that we deliver and the positions that we have, then we should not be afraid of competition. We should welcome it.
“And so, again, I think competition in the marketplace of ideas, just like in any other field, only serves to improve the eventual outcome for the customer.”
Oklahomans embrace their freedoms, and that’s what this is about: freedom to seek office and freedom to vote, regardless of fealty to political party bosses.
Numbers of the Day
- $8.5 billion – The state’s General Revenue Fund collections for fiscal year 2024 (ending June 30, 2024) were approximately $8.5 billion, which is $177.7 million, or 2.1%, above the estimate for the year and $547.2 million, or 6.1%, below the all-time high record collections of the previous year. [Office of Management and Enterprise Services]
- 4.9% – Rate of food insecurity reported by older residents in rural areas, compared with 4.4% for older residents in urban areas. [University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center]
- 20% – An Oklahoma Watch report found that 20% of private schools raised tuition anywhere from 6% to 100% in the first year that Oklahoma provided private school tax credits for families. [Oklahoma Watch]
- 59 – Number of suspected voting crimes reported by Oklahoma election officials to their local district attorney’s office during the 2020 presidential election, according to an investigation from the League of Women Voters Oklahoma. More than 1.5 million votes were cast during that election. Only one of the 59 referrals resulted in criminal charges, while in all other instances prosecutors declined to file charges, usually determining there was ‘no criminal intent’ on the part of the voter. [Governor’s Task Force on Campaign Finance and Election Threats]
- 1 in 5 – More than 1 in 5 (208,110) Oklahoma children don’t get the food they need. [Hunger Free Oklahoma]
What We’re Reading
- The Many Downsides of Sales Tax Holidays: They don’t do much to generate economic activity, often hurt taxpayers they’re intended to help, inject instability into revenue streams, and create administrative and compliance costs for businesses, governments and consumers. [Governing]
- Study: Injury, Food Insecurity and Inadequate Social Supports Put Older Rural Adults at Risk: While rural older adults are statistically just as likely as their urban counterparts to suffer from injuries, food insecurity and social isolation, their lack of access to healthcare puts them at greater risk for negative health outcomes as a result, a new study found. [Daily Yonder]
- ‘Internet to go’ programs get a boost: The FCC recently voted to allow schools and libraries to use federal funds to support Wi-Fi hotspot lending programs, which caught fire during the pandemic. The efforts are viewed by some as a small, but critical, way to help close the digital divide. [Route Fifty]
- Mapping digital inequity in every state [U.S. Census Bureau]
- Who Voters Trust for Election Information in 2024: The confidence gap between local and national counting is an opportunity for voter education about how the counting and certification process works at all levels of our election system. While election officials may be doing a good job building confidence in their community, this gap shows the need for national and state media outlets, candidates, and political elites to help voters understand the robust processes and security measures that are present in every state. [Bipartisan Policy Center]
- Hunger Doesn’t Take a Vacation: Summer Nutrition Status Report: A new report reveals a drop in children participating in the Summer Nutrition Programs following the loss of pandemic-era waivers. The report finds that 170,926 fewer children benefited from meals served through the Summer Nutrition Programs in 2023 compared to the previous year. Only 15.3 children received summer lunch for every 100 who received a free or reduced-price school lunch during the previous school year. [Food Research and Action Center]
