Representative Rande Worthen

R

District 64

Hi, I'm Rande Worthen and I represent the people of Oklahoma's 64th District.


representative

News & Announcements

Aug 29, 2024
Recent Posts

Lawton Lawmakers Call for Investigative Audit into Comanche County Sheriff Runoff Election

Reps. Trey Caldwell, R-Lawton, Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, Rande Worthen, R-Lawton, Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin, and Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, today sent an urgent letter to Secretary Paul Ziriax formally requesting an investigative audit into the August 27 runoff election for Comanche County sheriff. The legislators expressed serious concerns following reports that multiple ineligible voters received a ballot for the Republican runoff election for Comanche County sheriff. The legislators said this clear breach of electoral protocol occurred despite at least one voter contacting the Comanche County Election Board regarding the incorrect ballot, with the issue not realized until after the ballot had been cast. According to an August 29 report by KSWO-TV 7News, the secretary of the Comanche County Election Board acknowledged the distribution of an incorrect ballot on election day. She also allegedly said that once a ballot enters the system, there’s nothing they can do about it.  In the letter, the legislators emphasized, "Given the importance of ensuring free and fair elections, we are deeply concerned that other ineligible voters may have received an incorrect ballot. A transparent investigation is crucial to maintaining public trust in our electoral process. "We have been advised that State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax has dispatched members of the State Election Board staff to the county election board to assess the situation. We ask the secretary to step in and ensure that a thorough review and audit is made of the situation and that appropriate action is taken if these allegations prove to be true." Citing Okla. Stat. tit. 26 § 1-104, the legislators reiterated that voters may only vote using the primary ballot under the party in which they are registered, stating, "no registered voter shall be permitted to vote in any Primary Election or Runoff Primary Election of any political party except the political party of which his registration form shows him to be a member…" The legislators said, “The right to vote is a fundamental expression of our American freedoms, and it must be fiercely protected to ensure the integrity of the November 5 presidential election. We must guarantee that each voter's voice is safeguarded and that every aspect of our electoral process remains secure and trustworthy." Read the letter here .

Apr 17, 2024
Recent Posts

House Passes Bill to Remove Unlawful Occupants

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Ross Ford, R-Broken Arrow, this week passed legislation in the House that would create a procedure for the removal of unlawful occupants of property. Senate Bill 1994 would allow a property owner to request the sheriff of a county in which the property is located to immediately remove a person or persons unlawfully occupying real property if certain conditions are met. Ford, along with co-authors Reps. Terry O'Donnell, R-Catoosa, and Rande Worthen, R-Lawton, and House Majority Floor Leader Jon Echols, R-Oklahoma City, issued a joint statement about the importance of the bill. "Property owners throughout our state are being inundated with illegal occupancy," the lawmakers said. "This is exacerbated by the number of people coming across our Southern border illegally, property thefts through methods such as unlawful title changes, or just people moving a trailer onto someone else's land or moving into someone's home while they're on vacation and refusing to leave. Oklahoma is a property rights state, and we are working with our sheriffs and others to identify and stop this type of crime and to advocate for the rights of our property owners. Private property ownership is one of the very foundations of our constitutional system of government and protects an individual's ability to prosper and participate in the free market and in our representative form of government. This legislation is important to ensuring this fundamental right is protected."  Ford explained that currently such matters are treated through civil process, and law enforcement are reluctant to get involved. This forces private property owners to hire an attorney, and the process often drags out for lengthy periods. Worthen pointed out the measure does not allow anyone in a landlord-tenant relationship to circumvent the Landlord-Tenant Act. It only applies to someone who is occupying private property and refusing to leave when asked. SB1994 would create a form for the property owner to submit to their county sheriff. Once verified, the sheriff must serve a notice to immediately vacate on all unlawful occupants. If appropriate, the sheriff may arrest any person found on the property for trespass, outstanding warrants or any other legal cause. The sheriff is entitled to the fee for service of the notice. The measure also would create a crime for someone unlawfully detaining or occupying or trespassing upon a property and who intentionally damages the dwelling in an amount of greater than $1,000. Those found guilty would receive a felony punishable by up to three years in prison, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. Any person who presents a false document purporting to be a valid lease agreement, deed, or other instrument conveying real property rights would be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in the county jail, a fine of not more than $1,000, or both. The measure states that these provisions are not to be used to circumvent any rights or laws governing the landlord tenant relationship. Any person wrongfully removed may bring a civil cause of action. SB1994 passed the House with a vote of 77-16. The amended bill now returns to the Senate for final consideration. 

Oct 28, 2022

Worthen Explores Organized Retail Theft in Interim Study

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact: Rep. Rande Worthen Phone: (405) 557-7398  OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Rande Worthen, R-Lawton, hosted an interim study Tuesday to learn about the effects of organized theft from retail stores. Interim Study H22-018, was hosted before the House Judiciary - Criminal Committee, which Worthen chairs. District 5 District Attorney Kyle Cabelka told the committee that since the minimum amount of property that had to be stolen for a charge to be considered a felony was increased from $500 to $1,000 in 2016, his district has seen a ""dramatic increase"" in petty larceny. Cabelka said petty larceny cases carry a $500 fine and a sentence of 30 days in jail. ""I believe because the punishment is so minimal, we continue to see it happen over and over and over again,"" he said. Cabelka said many defendants aim to keep the total cost of the items they're stealing under $1,000 so if they were caught, they'd face a misdemeanor rather than a felony. Detective Jason Miller with the Oklahoma City Police Department (OKCPD) said the OKCPD's Organized Retail Crime Unit was created in 2017 in response to a ""significant uptick"" in retail crime. He said the unit recovered over $2 million worth of property stolen from retailers and filed over 175 charges last year. Miller noted that people travel from out-of-state to commit retail theft because they consider the risk of being caught ""very light"" due to ""how lenient"" Oklahoma's law is. ""Organized retail theft is costing Oklahoma's business owners thousands of dollars, which drives the prices up for other consumers, a problem which touches all of us,"" Worthen said. ""When a punishment is so light that it's worth the risk of getting caught, it puts Oklahomans in danger and costs taxpayer dollars to pursue these cases. I hope that we will soon consider changes that will benefit our law enforcement officers and business owners as well."" Worthen said he is exploring legislation that could help address the increase in retail theft.