TRANSCRIPT
Announcer: Capitol Insider sponsored by the Oklahoma State Medical Association, physician members who are committed to better health for all Oklahomans. Learn more at okmed.org.
Dick Pryor: This is Capitol Insider - taking you inside politics, policy, and government in Oklahoma. I'm Dick Pryor with Quorum Call publisher, Shawn Ashley. Thursday was deadline day at the Capitol when bills and joint resolutions had to be heard in their chamber of origin to advance. Shawn, how many reached the end of the road?
Shawn Ashley: Approximately 400 bills and joint resolutions failed to advance from one chamber to the other. Now nearly three-fourths of those were in the Senate. Most simply did not receive floor consideration. A handful, fewer than a dozen, failed outright and did not advance.
Dick Pryor: How many measures calling for state questions to change the constitution advanced past the deadline?
Shawn Ashley: There currently are just over a dozen joint resolutions and bills that propose amendments to the state constitution. There are some focused on limiting the growth of property taxes, for example, and others that would modify and potentially roll back Oklahoma's Medicaid expansion program approved by voters. Another gives the governor the authority to appoint the State Superintendent of Public Instruction and one updates the listings of counties and their county seats in the Oklahoma Constitution. Now these resolutions, just like any other measure, need approval from the opposite chamber before they are placed on a ballot.
Dick Pryor: If approved, HJR 1089 could lead to a constitutional convention - or not - starting in less than a year.
Shawn Ashley: That's right. The Oklahoma Constitution requires the legislature to ask voters every 20 years whether they want a state constitutional convention. That has not happened since 1970, and voters said no that year. In addition to asking voters whether they want a constitutional convention, HJR 1089 sets up the process or logistics for the convention, if it is approved. The convention would coincide with the 61st legislature - meeting from January 2027 through May 2028. Lawmakers would serve as the delegates to the convention. Representative Scott Fetgatter, who presented the resolution on the House floor, explained it would work much like the redistricting process where legislators would seek input in town hall meetings across the state and then consider possible amendments at the state capitol. And ultimately, any proposed amendments would be subject to voter approval in another election in 2028.
Dick Pryor: Another joint resolution would submit to the people a constitutional amendment that would require proof of identity to vote. Now we already have a voter ID law. What is the stated purpose of this measure and what are opponents saying?
Shawn Ashley: Proponents of the proposal say it would help ensure election integrity by putting in the state constitution what, as you noted, is already in state law. Opponents of the measure noted its wording only requires proof of identification to vote. It does not specify what kind of identification would be needed and even allows future legislatures to change what Oklahomans would have to provide in order to vote. Now under current law, a document used for proof of identity for voting must be issued by the U.S. Government, the Oklahoma government, or a federally recognized tribal government. And it requires the document contain the name of the person to whom it is issued, a photograph of that person, and an expiration date that is after the date of the election. Current law also allows voters to use the free voter ID card they receive from their county election board when they registered to vote. But as the resolution's opponents noted, those requirements could change even if the proposed constitutional amendment is approved.
Dick Pryor: Under legal pressure from the Trump administration, the state Election Board is turning over voter registration data, which includes names, driver's license numbers, partial Social Security numbers, and place of residence of Oklahoma voters to the U.S. Department of Justice. For decades, Oklahoma has had one of the most secure and most exemplary voting systems in the nation. The Election Board initially refused to release this information. What led to the decision to give it up now?
Shawn Ashley: Well, Oklahoma is one of around 20 states to be sued by the Department of Justice to gain access to the state's voter registration information. Two states, California and Oregon, fought their lawsuits and won in federal court, but most states acquiesced to the federal government after being sued and being promised, as Oklahoma was, that their voters' data privacy would be maintained. Attorney General Gentner Drummond, whose office represented the state election board, said, “We are committed to both election integrity and the protection of personal information.”
Dick Pryor: All right, Shawn, thank you.
Shawn Ashley: You're very welcome.
Dick Pryor: For more information, go to quorumcall.online. You can find video of Capitol Insider segments on the KGOU You Tube channel. Audio and transcripts are at kgou.org. And look for Capitol Insider where you get podcasts. Until next time, with Shawn Ashley, I'm Dick Pryor.
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