Oklahomans will head to the polls Tuesday to decide runoffs, local ballot initiatives and more.
Many state legislators are running unopposed for re-election. But several Republican incumbents face primary challengers in runoffs from further right on the political spectrum.
There are also a few local races worth keeping an eye on. While one of the highest profile races in Tulsa is for a new mayor, voters there will also consider giving city councilors a raise. In Oklahoma City, voters will consider increasing lodging taxes.
Here are a few of the races Oklahoma public radio reporters are keeping an eye on this election cycle:
Hotel tax increases proposed in OKC, Alva
For the first time in 20 years, Oklahoma City residents will vote on a proposed hotel tax increase.
The current OKC hotel tax rate sits at 5.5%, with the majority of the funds generated from it — 55% — being used for improvements at the OKC fairgrounds. The proposal seeks to raise the rate to 9.25%, which would be charged when someone books a hotel room or home-sharing property. Three quarters of the funds generated by the increase would be used for tourism promotion.
Residents in Alva will consider a similar proposal. The hotel tax in Alva currently rests at 5%, but the proposal would increase it to 8%. In Alva, the current hotel tax has been used to fund community events.
Tulsa to elect new mayor, decide on salary increases for city officials
Voters in Tulsa are scheduled to select their new mayor on Tuesday in a nonpartisan race, meaning candidates’ party affiliations will not be on the ballot. If needed, a runoff election will take place in November.
KWGS reporter Max Bryan interviewed the top three candidates in the race.
Brent VanNorman is the president of TriLinc Global, as well as a CPA, attorney and former pastor. He said one of his biggest goals is to make Tulsa more business-friendly through using private contractors to approve business permits in an effort to speed up the process. He also wants to reduce homelessness and recruit more police officers.
Breaking with the status quo, VanNorman has highlighted his Republican affiliation throughout the nonpartisan race, telling the Tulsa World that he wants voters to know where he stands.
Karen Keith is in her fourth term as the District 2 Tulsa County Commissioner. She said she wants to examine inspections and permitting, suggesting that Habitat for Humanity houses be pre-permitted.
Keith boasts endorsements from Tulsa’s Fraternal Order of Police chapter and the Tulsa Firefighters. If elected, she wants to expand the firefighters’ partnership with family and children’s services in providing assistance to homeless individuals.
Monroe Nichols is a state representative serving District 72. He said if elected, he aims to end homelessness by 2030. According to his website, he plans to achieve that outcome in part through the establishment of a flexible funding account to serve the variety of needs Tulsa’s homeless population may have.
Nichols’ website also mentions that he wants to strengthen relationships between tribal and local governments. He plans to appoint an individual to a new position of Director of Tribal Policy and Partnerships if elected.
Also running for the position are Casey Bradford, Kaleb Hoosier, John Jolley and Paul Tay, but they did not poll high enough to participate in the mayoral debate hosted by NonDoc and KJRH.
Tulsa voters will also have the chance to decide on salary increases for some local officials. The first charter amendment seeks to raise the salary for city councilors to $32,000 from its current $24,000. It would also permit for adjustments in accordance with the consumer price index.
The second charter amendment proposes that the city auditor salary is increased from 70% to 75% of the mayor’s salary. The current mayoral salary is $105,000, but Tulsa’s next mayor will earn $190,000 per year thanks to a city council measure approved in April. Three quarters of that would be $142,500.
State lawmakers face off in runoff elections
House District 32
House Budget leader Kevin Wallace from Wellston, and Jim Shaw from Chandler, are going for round two in the Republican primary runoffs for House District 32. Shaw beat Wallace during the June primaries by 212 votes, but did not reach a 50% majority of the vote. Their third competitor, Jason Shilling, received 633 votes, so this race could go either way.
The stakes are high for Republican leadership in the House, as Wallace is the chair of the powerful Appropriations and Budget Committee and Co-chair of the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency, which is currently investigating state education department spending. If Wallace loses his seat to Shaw, those leadership positions would be transferred to someone else via an internal, closed-doors, House vote.
Wallace, the incumbent, reminds voters on his website of his support for increased funding for rural schools, allowing local law enforcement to arrest unauthorized immigrants, cutting the state portion of the sales tax on groceries and a consistent voting record for former President Donald Trump.
Shaw commits to stopping wind turbines and solar farms from expanding further into the state and instead supporting the fossil fuel industry. He also suggests going further on matters of immigration by taxing funds sent overseas by people in the country without permission and forbidding such individuals from getting state identification in the future.
The winner of this runoff wins the seat in the statehouse.
Senate District 47
In Edmond, retired Colonel Kelly Hines and former ICU Nurse Jenny Schmitt, both Republicans, are getting their second chance to try and replace termed-out Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat. Hines beat Schmitt in June by 310 votes, but did not get a 50% majority. The winner of the runoff will face Democrat Erin Brewer in November.
While Treat’s is the top leadership position in the Senate, he had to leave office anyway, so the chamber already internally voted Sen. Lonnie Paxton as the pro tem designee for next year. The Senate will come together again once the next legislative session starts to formalize his position or elect someone else.
Hines’ website says he’ll thrust Oklahoma into the future with promises to develop the aerospace industry and other technologies, support of public safety and border security.
Schmitt promises to push policies that will improve competition, choice, and transparency in the healthcare industry, provide safe schools, connecting better with tribes in Oklahoma, and ending foreign ownership of Oklahoma energy infrastructure.
Senate District 15
Lisa Standridge, who is married to incumbent Rob Standridge, is going head-to-head with President and CEO of Associated Environmental Industries Robert Keyes in the Republican runoffs after having to fend off four other competitors in June.
Neither candidate even came close to securing the over 50% vote needed to head straight to the General Election and face Democrat Elizabeth Foreman.
Standridge’s campaign Facebook page says she supports combating illegal immigration and supports gun ownership and second Amendment rights.
Keyes has a similar platform to his fellow Republican. He promises to raise the standard of living in the state by helping businesses on the brink of bankruptcy, lowering income taxes, and allowing Oklahomans to be “free to choose their health care providers and course of treatment.” He doesn’t claim to support or refute abortion rights.
Deer Creek, Oak Cliff, Piedmont seek funds for community-wide resources
Voters in the Deer Creek Fire Protection District will have the chance to decide on a proposed millage increase. If approved, the proposition would up the millage rate on properties in the district to 10 mills on the dollar. Currently, it sits at 7.3 mills in Oklahoma County and 7 mills in Logan County.
The funds generated from a millage increase would be used to expand the staff of DC Fire, which is currently made of four full-time employees and a mix of both paid and unpaid volunteers. In addition, the money would go to equipment, the construction of a third station and ambulance services. The district currently contracts Miller EMS for ambulance service, but according to the DC Fire website, it cannot guarantee it will be able to provide ambulance services after 2026 without the millage increase.
Voters in the Oak Cliff Fire Protection District in southern Logan County will also vote on a millage increase, which would raise the rate from 7.22 mills to 10 mills. The funds would be used for similar initiatives to the plans of DC Fire, such as expanding the staff. The district also faces the same challenge with ambulance services as DC Fire.
Residents of Piedmont will be asked to vote on a bond package totaling over $16 million for city-wide improvements. The majority of those funds are part of the first proposition, which asks for a total of $10.1 million for road improvements. The second proposition is for $4.6 million, the majority of which would be used to build a multi-sport complex for baseball, softball, soccer and more. The final proposition, valued at $1.9 million, would be used for municipal facilities, such as public works buildings and a fire station expansion.
The bonds' funds are to come from a property tax increase, which would result in a $36 monthly hike on a home worth $250,000 in the area if all three bonds are passed.
McCurtain County to decide on a new GOP sheriff nominee after incumbent defeated
Kevin Clardy, McCurtain County’s current sheriff, earned less than 400 votes in his bid during the June primary election, leaving his challengers to face off this month.
Last year, the McCurtain Gazette obtained and published recordings of Clardy and three other county officials discussing lynching Black people and killing journalists. However, Attorney General Gentner Drummond said his office and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation did not find reason to dismiss Clardy, instead leaving it to voters.
Those voters in McCurtain’s Republican primary have chosen not to move forward with Clardy. Bruce Shirey and Jason Ricketts, the top two candidates in the primary, will vie for votes in the runoff. The winner will face Steve McKee, the Democratic nominee, in the November general election.
Public schools retry failed bonds and put up multi-proposal packages
Nearly 30 school districts across the state have bond proposals up for voting in the August election.
As a note, bonds for school districts need a 60% supermajority to pass unlike similar bond issues for other local elections.
Blanchard Public Schools
Blanchard Public Schools is pushing for a $66.1 million bond for new athletic facilities, a saferoom, technology improvements, improved security, land purchases and band instruments. Nearly $38.5 million of the proposed funding would go to the construction of a new fieldhouse and a baseball/softball complex. The proposal closely mirrors one that failed last year, which would have been $69.2 million.
According to Blanchard Public Schools, the passage of the bond will not result in a tax increase for voters. This was also the case with last year’s failed bond.
More information can be found here.
Hinton Public Schools
Hinton Public Schools is proposing a nearly $23.7 million bond for the construction of athletic facilities, a storm shelter and renovations. The proposal follows a similar one that failed last year, valued at $32.3 million.
Unlike the bond proposed by Blanchard, the Hinton bond would require a tax increase from voters. It will need a 60% supermajority to pass. More information on the proposal can be found on the Hinton Public Schools website.
Guthrie Public Schools
Voters in the Guthrie Public School district will decide on a $45 million bond. The majority of the funds generated by the proposed bond — $32 million — would go to the construction of a new elementary school. The project would be expected to start in 2029.
More information can be found on the Guthrie Public Schools website.
Collinsville Public Schools
The Collinsville Public Schools bond package would generate over $95 million for the district if passed. The first proposal, encompassing $93 million, would cover the costs of new buildings to accommodate the district’s growing enrollment. The largest of the projects in that plan is a new fifth grade building, which will cost over $39 million.
The second proposal, valued at $2 million, would be for transportation.
More information can be found on the Collinsville Public Schools website.
McLoud Public Schools
McLoud Public Schools is also running a bond package with two proposals. The first, which is nearly $30 million, will cover improvements at a variety of the district’s locations, including the Early Childhood Center and the elementary school. Over half — $16.1 million — of the funds will go to improvements at McLoud High School, such as classroom additions and electrical infrastructure updates.
The other proposal in McLoud, valued at $1.1 million, is for the district to acquire student transportation.
More information can be found on the McLoud Public Schools website.
Other School Bonds
Other school bond proposals include a $29.7 million bond from Cimarron Public Schools, a $28.5 million bond from Wynnewood Public Schools, and a $9.8 million bond from Grove Public Schools that is now on its third attempt.
Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education
Voters in Seminole and Pottawatomie counties will have the chance to decide whether the Konawa School District should be annexed into the Pontotoc Technology Center district. If approved, the measure would allow secondary students and adults in the Konawa School District to enroll in Pontotoc courses without paying an out of district fee. This vote will only require a simple majority.
Voters can learn more about this election by visiting their local election board or by seeing a sample ballot on their voter portal on the State Election Board website.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
