CONTACT YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE NOW!
On April 13, 2011, the state House Rules Committee changed SB 602 by removing the language passed by the state Senate and inserting a committee substitute. (To read the committee substitute, go to http://www.oklegislature.gov, Find Legislation, type in SB 602, click Search, click Versions, click House Committee Substitute for Senate Bill 4-13-11). SB 602 was filed because federal law now requires that absentee ballots be mailed overseas 45 days before an election, so that military and other overseas citizens can send their ballots back in time to be counted for the election.
The committee substitute would abolish run off elections in Oklahoma, which have been conducted ever since 1946. Runoff elections are held when a candidate fails to receive 50% of the vote plus one in a primary. Without runoff elections, a candidate can win his/her party’s nomination for a certain office (e.g., governor, staterepresentative, county commissioner) with a small minority of the vote. For example, in a 3-candidate winner-take-all primary, a candidate could win the Republican or Democrat nomination for an office with 34% of the vote; in a 5-candidate winner-take-all primary, a candidate could win the Republican or Democrat nomination for an office with 21% of the vote.
One argument made by current state House members is that SB 602 would require the filing period for offices to occur in April, thus allowing opponents 6 weeks of campaigning time before the incumbents are finished with the legislative session. However, most successful challengers to an incumbent start their campaigns 6 months to a year before the primary election occurs.
Another argument made by legislators is that run off elections are expensive. If election expense is an issue, a good remedy for that is to outlaw the practice of the state of Oklahoma paying for the Presidential primary elections of the Democrat and Republican parties, and to require that the political parties pay for their own Presidential primaries, or hold caucuses as the state of Iowa does to choose their Presidential nominee. Also,the state legislature could reduce the number of special elections allowed each year. Current Oklahoma law allows for twelve (12) elections to be held in odd numbered years and nine (9) elections to be held in even numbered years. The state legislature could reduce the number of elections in a calendar year to six (6). Most special elections have a voter turnout of less than 10% of the registered voters in any given district.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1. Please e-mail your state Representative TODAY. Ask him or her to vote NO on the Committee substitute to SB 602.
If you don’t know who your state Rep. is, go to the state legislature web site: http://www.oklegislature.gov/
Look for the words “Find My Legislator” at the bottom right corner of the homepage. Enter your street address, city and zip code and click the Search button. This will take you to another page. Scroll down to the bottom of this page. It will list the name and contact information for your state Rep. Click on the words “Contact this legislator.” His/her e-mail address will appear.
2. Follow up the e-mail to your state Representative with a phone call. Call your state Representative at (800) 522-8502.
3. Since this is a state issue, contact like-minded friends and relatives in other parts of Oklahoma and urge them to contact their state Representative. TAKE ACTION NOW!