Who's Left in the Race? Here are the Oklahoma Legislative Districts Still Up For Grabs
In addition to electing their president and congressional members, many Oklahoma voters will choose their representatives in the state legislature.
There are dozens of contested House and Senate districts this November.
When the election season began in April, all of Oklahoma’s 101 House districts, and 26 of the state’s Senate districts were up for grabs.
Almost half of the races were won automatically by uncontested candidates. Others were settled in the primaries. Thirty-seven remain to be decided by voters in November.
There are 12 races left in the Senate and 25 in the House.
Voters replaced incumbents in top Republican leadership positions in both chambers during the primary elections, in some cases with candidates touting more right-leaning platforms than their established party members.
The last day to register to vote is Oct. 11.
For help with registering and a map showing candidates running in each of the legislative districts contested in November, click here.
Oklahoma Lawmakers Weigh 'Tim Tebow Bill' Allowing Homeschoolers in Public School Activities
Oklahoma lawmakers are considering a policy to allow homeschooled students to participate in public school extracurricular activities.
Legislators met Tuesday for an interim study to hash out the merits of the proposal.
Bartlesville Republican Rep. John Kane held the study over what’s called the Tim Tebow bill, named after the professional athlete who was homeschooled but played football at a public high school.
Lawmakers had two main concerns: Would it be fair for homeschooled students to participate in activities that require public school students to maintain weekly academic eligibility? And how would schools verify academic equivalency for homeschool curriculum?
"I guess it’d be very hard for me to support something like this till I see some equality across the board in that respect," said Tecumseh Republican Rep. Danny Sterling, who worked as a teacher and principal for 40 years. "Like I say, I’m an educator for decades, and just to be very transparent, I don’t see the fairness in that, I’m sorry."
More than 20 states have passed a version of the law. It remains to be seen whether Oklahoma will consider it next spring.
State Audit Reveals Over $300,000 in Misappropriated Funds in Red Rock
A State Auditor and Inspector’s report shows hundreds of thousands of dollars were misappropriated in the Town of Red Rock.
The auditor says the office has seen an uptick in forensic audit requests for small towns.
Fewer than 300 people live in Red Rock, in Noble County.
From the beginning of 2019 to mid-2024, the state auditor and inspector’s office found about $336,000 was misappropriated from the town and the Public Works Authority.
State Auditor and Inspector Cindy Byrd says for a small town like Red Rock, the impact of losing the funds can be felt for years.
“A lot of our small cities and towns are struggling for revenue streams to just keep basic functions in operation, and whenever you have such a large misappropriation of funds as this, it could take a decade for this small town to get back on its feet," Byrd said.
Among the findings, the audit shows the town's former clerk and treasurer misappropriated more than $241,000 and the clerk’s spouse also received unlawful payments.
Byrd found, the town’s board members were also overpaid and another clerk misappropriated funds.
Gov. Stitt Proposes New Dual Car Tag Compact with Cherokee Nation
There’s a new deal on the table for an ongoing car tag compact negotiation between Oklahoma and the Cherokee Nation.
Gov. Kevin Stitt is offering two separate compacts for the Cherokee Nation for both on and off-reservation individuals.
That’s different from what he agreed to with the Chickasaw and Choctaw nations; those two tribes have the same deal for all of their citizens in the state.
The existing compact will remain in effect for individuals living within the Cherokee reservation. As a condition, the governor's office asks the boundaries of the land be strictly adhered to.
For those living off-reservation, tag revenue would be split, with sixty percent going toward the state. Drivers living outside tribal lands will still be able to keep their Cherokee plates and acquire tags from a Cherokee tag office.
As for the over $8 million in PlatePay tolls that Stitt has harped on, if the agreement is signed, the Cherokee Nation would only need to pay half of what is owed.
Both sides have expressed optimism at the evolution of the negotiations.
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