Welcome to the Oklahoma House of Representatives

Rep. Tammy Townley, R-Ardmore, today announced her intention to file a bill next session updating election procedures in the event of a tied election. Townley represents House District 48, which includes Carter County. She said the bill was inspired by the outcome of the June 18 primary election for Carter County Sheriff. A recount on June 28 confirmed both candidates received 2,569 votes. Current statute does not allow for runoff elections when only two candidates run for a position. Title 26, Section 8-105 states any race that remains tied after provisional ballot analysis and a recount must be decided by a lot held by the county election board. Ultimately, the winner of that race was chosen via a random drawing of a name from a bucket. "I had no idea that we still had archaic practices like this on the books," Townley said. "I had assumed, as I suspect many others did as well, that this race would proceed to a runoff. I was shocked to learn that a race could be decided by a game of chance rather than by voters." Townley said after learning the election result could be determined by a random drawing, she immediately began considering other alternatives to propose in the bill. "I've heard from many of my constituents in Carter County who are frustrated with the way this race has to be decided because of an outdated statute," Townley said. "I started working to draft the bill the same day I learned there could be a drawing." Townley said the bill, which has not yet been filed, would provide several options in the event of a tied race and would be at the discretion of the county election board secretary to decide how to proceed. While Townley is still developing the bill, she said that the opportunity for a runoff election would be included in the list. "It's 2024. We have the technology and resources available to organize a runoff election in the event of a tied race," Townley said. "We must make every effort to ensure elections are decided by voters, not by luck." The bill will be filed for consideration in the next legislative session, which begins Feb. 3, 2025.

Reps. Ty Burns, R-Pawnee, and John Pfeiffer, R-Orlando, recently honored former Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Charlie Hanger with a replica of a sign designating mile marker 202 in Noble County as the "Trooper Charlie Hanger Honorary Mile." This designation marks the location where Hanger apprehended Timothy McVeigh, Oklahoma's most notorious terrorist. "It was an honor to commemorate Trooper Hanger and the events of that day," Burns said. "Charlie will tell you there is no such thing as a routine traffic stop. This honorary mile is a thank you to all law enforcement officers who dedicate themselves to protecting our communities throughout the state." The presentation took place at Sequoyah State Park during the annual Retired Trooper Event. "Trooper Charlie Hanger will go down in Oklahoma history rightfully as a hero, though he will claim that he was just doing his job and what every trooper would do," Pfeiffer said. "His diligence and dedication do reflect the best of Oklahoma lawmen. His name will join those of Bill Tillman and Heck Thomas as Oklahoma heroes who did their jobs as peacekeepers and served the public and their state." This honorary mile is a tribute to Hanger's bravery and law enforcement officers' critical role in ensuring public safety across Oklahoma.

A group of legislators on Friday praised the governor's line-item veto of Sections 15 and 16 of Senate Bill 1122, which would have placed spending limits on the State Department of Education (SDE) for its Fiscal Year 2025 budget, which goes into effect July 1. The statement is issued by Reps. Chad Caldwell, R-Enid; Chris Banning, R-Bixby; Sherrie Conley, R-Newcastle; Rusty Cornwell, R-Vinita; Denise Crosswhite Hader, R-Piedmont; David Hardin, R-Stilwell; JJ Humphrey, R-Lane; Tom Gann, R-Inola; Jim Grego, R-Wilburton; Mark Lawson, R-Sapulpa; Mark Lepak, R-Claremore; Cody Maynard, R-Durant; Jim Olsen, R-Roland; Clay Staires, R-Skiatook; Kevin West, R-Moore; and Rick West, R-Heavener. "We'd like to thank Governor Stitt for his thoughtful line-item veto of Sections 15 and 16 of Senate Bill 1122," they said. "These portions of the bill would have done nothing to improve the education of Oklahoma students and instead would have significantly damaged the Department of Education's ability to carry out its mission." The lawmakers said Section 15 of SB1122 would have required SDE to apply for every federal grant, while Section 16 would have included provisions that forbid SDE from using any money to secure media interviews or public relations, or for other public promotional purposes. The group noted that no other agency is subject to these restrictions. State agencies are granted the autonomy to decide which grants to apply for and almost every state agency spends money to communicate to the public about particular programs or services offered. Section 16 would have singled out and severely limited SDE in this function. The lawmakers spoke about the Teacher of the Year program, teacher recruitment efforts, certain financial disclosures, and other public relations messages that would have been hampered should this measure have been signed into law. On Friday afternoon, the governor issued Executive Order 2024-12, which prohibits all state agencies, rather than inequitably highlighting a specific agency, from entering into sole source contracts with public relations, marketing, or communications firms and vendors, as well as requires all PR vendors be procured through a 30-day request for proposal.