The Senate just passed its third major deadline of this legislative session. House bills had to pass a Senate committee by April 11 to continue advancing through the Legislature. Now, the Senate is done with the bulk of its committee work for this session. Of the 424 pieces of House legislation that came to the Senate, 330 bills passed out of committees. Across the Capitol rotunda, 234 Senate bills advanced out of House committees. Many of the bills that were approved in committees are just one step away from advancing to the governor’s desk. Now, my chamber will focus on hearing House bills and amended Senate bills on the floor.
One of the key bills I passed before the deadline was House Bill 3156, which ensures election integrity by banning ranked choice voting in Oklahoma. This measure would prevent the Oklahoma State Election Board, county election boards and municipalities from using this unnecessarily complicated voting method. Under a ranked choice system, voters are asked to rank every candidate in a race. If no candidate emerges as a clear winner after firstchoice votes are counted, then the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. Election officials then disperse the votes supporting that candidate to voters’ second-choice candidates. That process continues until one candidate emerges as the winner after receiving a majority of the votes. But ranked choice voting is incompatible with our current elections system and easily gamed by active partisans. Our current voting method is a tried-and-true process that has worked for centuries.
Oklahoma has one of the best and most secure election systems in the nation, and I want to keep it that way. Ranked choice voting creates an unworkable election system that sows confusion and distrust among voters. Oklahomans are used to seeing final election results on election night, but cities and states that have implemented ranked choice voting often don’t know who won their elections until days after voters cast their ballots. That plus the convoluted process make it difficult for voters to trust the results are accurate. Under our current election process, if no candidate gets more than 50% of the vote in a primary, then the top two candidates advance to a runoff primary. This gives voters multiple chances to get to know their candidates and learn about the issues on which they are campaigning.
The first week in April also included the threeday period for candidates for federal, state and county offices to file to be on the ballot this year. More than 280 candidates filed for state and federal offices. Although I’m not on the ballot this year because I’m halfway through my second, fouryear term at the Capitol, I wanted to congratulate my Senate and House colleagues who were automatically reelected because they faced no opposition this election cycle. At least one-fifth of incumbent senators won’t return to the Capitol next year because of term limits or because they opted not to seek re-election. Lawmakers are limited to 12 years of service in the Legislature.
I encourage everyone in Senate District 38 to remain engaged this election cycle. Learn about your candidates and, most importantly, don’t forget to vote. June 18 is the primary election. Runoff primaries will occur on Aug. 27, and the general election is set for Nov. 5. The Oklahoma State Election Board is the best place to get information about upcoming elections. To register to vote, find your polling place or view a sample ballot as the elections approach, visit oklahoma. gov/ elections.
To contact me at the Capitol, please write to Senator Brent Howard, State Capitol, 2300 N. Lincoln Blvd. Room 427, Oklahoma City, OK, 73105, email me at Brent. Howard@ oksenate. gov, or call (405) 521-5612.
