These are the primary bills that Oklahomans For Ballot Access Reform are watching in the 2013 Legislative Session.
SB 668 – Modifies the number of signatures required to form a new party to be 5% of the last Gubernatorial election. This bill would bring some stability to the requirements but would not bring any real relief.
- February 13, 2013: Passed the Senate Rules Committee 19-0.
- Amended to grant Elections Board greater authority to answer questions and resolve disputes over who is authorized to represent a new party.
- February 27, 2013: Passed the Senate on a vote of 42-0. Title was stricken, meaning will have to come back to the Senate before going to the Governor.
- April 2, 2013: Passed the House Judiciary Committee 16-0. Title was restored.
- April 3, 2013: Representative Hickman, author of HB2134, signed on as a coauthor.
- April 25,2013: Calendar Committee failed to assign the bill to the House Agenda and the bill missed the deadline to be heard on the Floor.
SB 76 – This bill would dramatically increase the fees associated with running for office. This bill would result in fewer people running for office and thus further stagnate our already tepid elections.
- February 20, 2013: Passed the Senate Rules Committee on a Party line vote 14-5. All Republicans voting for the bill; all Democrats voting against it.
- Votes for the bill came from the following: Barrington, Branan, Brinkley, David, Fields, Ford, Halligan, Jolley, Justice, Marlatt, Standridge, Stanislawski, Johnson (Rob), Griffin
- Votes against the bill came from the following: Johnson (Constance), McAffrey, Shumate, Sparks, Wyrick
- March 5, 2013: Passed the Senate on a vote of 27-18. No Democrats voted for the bill. Some Republicans voted against it.
- March 25, 2013: House Appropriation and Budget General Government subcommittee passed the bill in a vote of 5-1. Rep Fourkiller was the only one to vote against it.
- April 12, 2013: Deadline for bills to be heard in committee passed with SB76 not being heard in the Appropriations and Budget Committee. The Bill is dead for the year.
HB 2134 – Would modify the number of signatures required to form a new party to exactly 5,000 signatures. This bill’s language is preferable to the Senate bill.
- February 20, 2013: Passed the House Rules Committee 7-0
- March 15, 2013: Deadline for bills to be heard in house of origin passed with Calendar Committee never hearing the bill and never passing it to the floor for a vote. This bill is dead for the year.
HB 1008 / HB 1635 – Creates a process for filing for and seeking a recall of an elected official. Provides a new, though flawed, power to voters in which they can hold elected officials accountable.
- March 1, 2013: Deadline for bills to be heard in committee passed with neither bill being heard in the House Rules Committee in 2013. This means these bills are dead for the year.
SB 906 / SB 523 – These bills would add Oklahoma to the Agreement between states to assign its Presidential Electors based on the National Popular vote.
- February 20, 2013: SB906 Passed out of the Senate Rules Committee 11-8
- March 15, 2013: Deadline for bills to be heard in house of origin passed with SB906 not heard on the Senate Floor. It is dead for the year.
- March 1, 2013: Deadline for bills to be heard in committee passed with SB523 not heard by the Senate Rules Committee and will not move this year.
