We have another contender for the office of Governor. Since October of last year we have had 4 people, including incumbent Mary Fallin, join the race for Oklahoma’s next Governor. We now have a fifth candidate.
Tracey J Williamson has announced her intent to run. Running for office as a citizen candidate, Tracey made her announcement as follows:
Can an ordinary citizen run for governor ? Why shouldn’t they ? The slick politicians and lawyers are not leading Oklahoma in a positive direction. It is very clear they are self serving and only seeking re-election or other political goals by pandering to special interests. We need a positive change and perhaps that should come from one of us, not one of them.
Until we see a viable candidate that is not a business as usual , typical politician, I will seek that position.
In a video update, Tracey explains her political affiliation. She has been a registered Republican but considers herself a Libertarian. She explains that she intends to run as a Democrat. However, it was not immediately clear on whether she is currently registered as a Democrat. Oklahoma Statute requires that anyone seeking office be a registered member of the party they wish to run under for at least six months prior to the filing period. So, if she is not a registered Democrat as of the first week of October, she would ineligible to run as a Democrat. We have asked for clarification on this matter.
The video also contains her thoughts on a few issues, particularly storm shelters in schools, horse slaughter and prison reform. When asked about her position on Ballot Access Reform, she had this to say:
I am for ballot reform, absolutely. Everyone should have a candidate they feel represents their thinking. It should not be that hard to make this a reality.
We welcome any challenger that would make Ballot Access Reform an issue in the 2014 election and look forward to watching Tracey’s bid the for the governor seat. As we gain more information, we will let you know.
What can we do to help get 3rd, 4th, 5th party candidates on the ballot?
Well, it is too late to get any actual parties on the ballot for the 2014 elections. however, we can still get a lot of Independent candidates on the ballot. That just requires a modest filing fee and some time.
If we want to see Ballot Access Reform get passed this year so that we can have alternative parties on the ballot in the 2016 elections, then we need to really push the State House to pass the reforms that are sitting on its plate right now. They are the major hold up this session. Specifically, we need to bombard Speaker Shannon with demands to pass that reform.
But the big thing is that if you can run for a House or Senate seat, do it. Even if the only thing you can do is put your name on the ballot, that helps. If you know someone else who can run, ask them to. The more Independents we have on the ballot, the more likely the Legislature will actually pass reform.