Super Tuesday: Oklahoma Primaries Set to Determine Presidential Candidates, Local Issues on Ballot
Voters will head to the polls for presidential primaries Tuesday.
Oklahoma is one of fifteen states where voters will cast their primary ballots to select a party candidate for president on Super Tuesday.
There’s little drama in the primaries this year with incumbent Democrat Joe Biden and former Republican President Donald Trump expected to take their parties’ nominations.
But there are other races. For the first time, Libertarians are on the ballot for primary elections on Super Tuesday in Oklahoma.
There are also a handful of local contests including a Canadian County vote to expand Sunday alcohol sales, Logan County sales tax questions and a retry of an OG&E franchise agreement in Norman that failed last year.
To check your polling location and view a sample ballot, visit the Oklahoma voter portal online.
Representative Empowers Latino Community on Election Day to Amplify Their Voices
It’s election day. One young representative from Oklahoma City’s southside is working to ensure his community is engaged with the political process.
About 60 Latino residents from the Capitol Hill neighborhood are shuffling into their local library to hear Rep. Arturo Alonso-Sandoval’s message to them: “Tu tienes una voz,” or “you have a voice.”
Inspired by low civic participation among Latinos and measures proposed this session targeting certain members of the demographic, Alonso-Sandoval organized an event last weekend aimed at informing residents of South Oklahoma City how they can participate in the legislative process.
"La meta no solamente es asegurar que estemos protegiendo las propuestas buenas y atacando las malas… (The goal is not only to ensure the community protects the good proposals and attacks the bad ones), Alonso-Sandoval says. "Pero también asegurando que tengamos más representación a todos niveles del gobierno para que nosotros tengamos una voz más grande. (But also to ensure that Latinos have more representation at all levels of government so they have a louder voice.)
Oklahoma Supreme Court Clears Path for Minimum Wage Increase Initiative to Advance
The Oklahoma Supreme Court has given the green light for an initiative petition aimed at increasing the state minimum wage to proceed
Proposed State Question 832 aims to incrementally boost the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 by 2029.
Despite opposition from the State Chamber of Commerce and Farm Bureau, proponents can proceed after the court ruled in their favor. In a 7-to-2 decision, the majority states the petition does not contravene state law.
This does not mean it will be voted Tuesday. Organizers must now gather nearly 100,000 signatures for the initiative to potentially appear on a future ballot.
Smokehouse Creek Fire Continues to Rage Across Texas, Oklahoma
That large wildfire known as the Smokehouse Creek Fire is still actively burning in Texas and western Oklahoma.
It has torched more than a million acres, and as of Monday evening, was just 15% contained in Texas.
In Ellis and Roger Mills counties in Oklahoma, the fire is 75% contained.
Forest Service officials say cooler temperatures and less wind will help in the ongoing suppression efforts.
The fire started a week ago. It has led to two deaths, and destroyed numerous homes, buildings and livestock.
Osage Nation Begins $40 Million Broadband Expansion Projects
Construction is starting on over $40 million in broadband expansion projects in the Osage Nation. Officials from the nation and the Biden-Harris Administration broke ground Monday.
When it’s all said and done, the Osage Nation will have more than 200 miles of fiber optic cabling and 16 towers for fixed Wi-Fi. This means 3,000 more Osage Nation households with reliable internet access.
Tom Perez is a senior adviser to President Joe Biden and director of the Office of Intergovernmental and Tribal Affairs. He says the internet is like water.
"It's a critical public necessity that needs to be affordable and accessible to everyone, and that's what this grant is about," said Perez.
Money for the nation’s broadband expansion comes from the Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program through the federal government.
The Osage Nation is one of the first tribal entities to get a grant to start broadband installation.
Principal Chief of the Osage Nation Geoffery Standing Bear, says the projects will improve social connection, and communication with communities across the world.
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