Oklahoma
An Oklahoma constitutional amend that would tie the number of signatures to the governor’s race in presidential election years has passed the House and Senate and will now go to the people for a vote. SJR 13 will effectively open up the initiative process since less people vote in races for governor than for president. The bill is part of a series that is aimed empowering citizens by opening up the state’s initiative process.
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The Oklahoma House will consider two initiative and referndum bills already passed by the Senate. SB 800 will allow a petition to be rejected before signatures are collected if it contains legal mistakes. This change is aimed at preventing initiative supporters from gathering signatures only to have a petition thrown off the ballot.
The Virginia-based group Citizens in Charge has given an award this month to Oklahoma Senator Randy Brogdon (R-Owasso) and Representative Randy Terrill (R-Moore) for two bills and a resolution aimed at making Oklahoma’s initiative petition laws less onerous.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) ”” A pair of Oklahoma lawmakers have received an award from a national voter rights group focused on the initiative and referendum process.
The Virginia-based Citizens in Charge Foundation on Tuesday named state Sen. Randy Brogdon and Rep. Randy Terrill as the March 2009 recipients of the John Lilburne Award.
The two state legislators were recognized for their efforts to make it easier for Oklahomans to place state questions on the ballot.(MORE)
Citizens in Charge Foundation, a national voter rights group focused on the initiative and referendum process, has named Oklahoma State Senator Randy Brogdon and Oklahoma State Representative Randy Terrill as the March 2009 recipients of the John Lilburne Award.
Citizens in Charge Foundation, a national voter rights group focused on the initiative and referendum process, has named Oklahoma State Senator Randy Brogdon and Oklahoma State Representative Randy Terrill as the March 2009 recipients of the John Lilburne Award.
The Unites States Supreme Court denied Arizona’s request for an appeal in the case Nader v. Brewer. Last year the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Arizona’s law requiring petition circulators to be state residents. Thirteen other states had asked the high court to overturn the decistion. Similar laws in Ohio and Oklahoma were invalidated last year in the 6th and 10th Circuit Courts of Appeal.
Oklahoma House Bill 2246, which would make several changes that would expand the state’s initiative process, passed the House today 90-4. SJR 13, an amendment to the state’s constitution, has passed the state Senate and will be coming up for a hearing in the House soon.
In 2007 Paul Jacob, an anti-big-government grassroots activist, and two colleagues were indicted by the state of Oklahoma. Their crime? They had hired people who were not Oklahoma citizens to gather petition signatures for a referendum to impose spending limits on Oklahoma’s profligate legislators. State law said that only residents could pass out petitions, but Jacobs had actually spoken with officials before the petition drive and been assured that as long as signature-gatherers were staying in the state—even if only temporarily—they could carry out their tasks.
In 2007 Paul Jacob, an anti-big-government grassroots activist, and two colleagues were indicted by the state of Oklahoma. Their crime? They had hired people who were not Oklahoma citizens to gather petition signatures for a referendum to impose spending limits on Oklahoma’s profligate legislators. State law said that only residents could pass out petitions, but Jacobs had actually spoken with officials before the petition drive and been assured that as long as signature-gatherers were staying in the state—even if only temporarily—they could carry out their tasks.
Oklahoma’s earliest advocate of initiative and referendum was
Theodore L. Sturgis of Perry, who founded the territory’s Direct Legislation
League in 1899, eight years prior to statehood. The I&R movement soon
picked up a formidable champion: Robert Latham Owen, who became
the state’s U.S. senator. Through the efforts of Sturgis’ growing League, 102
of the 112 delegates elected in 1906 to Oklahoma’s founding
constitutional convention were committed in writing to supporting I&R. In
Filing an initiative is a very simple
process in Oklahoma. All you need to do is take your initiative petition – in
final camera-ready artwork form - to the Secretary of State. Once you
have filed – that day in fact – you can begin to collect signatures. The
Secretary of State writes the ballot title after the signatures are submitted.
Date initiative language can be submitted: Anytime
Signatures tied to vote of which office: Total votes cast for the office
receiving the most votes in the last General Election.
Next General election: 2010
Votes cast for President in last election: 1,462,661 (2008)