Citizens in Charge

Oklahomans for Initiative Rights, a group that supports the ballot initiative process in Oklahoma, announced that state House Bill 2246 received final passage from the legislature today. This is the third ballot initiative process reform bill that the legislature has passed this year.

HB 2246 will extend the current 90 day period to collect signatures to one year. Currently Oklahoma has the second shortest time period to collect signatures in the country combined with the highest percentage of signatures needed to qualify an initiative for the ballot. The shortest time period is 68 days in Massachusetts, but the requirement there is only 3% of voters in the last election versus 15% in Oklahoma.

Earlier this month the legislature passed Senate Joint Resolution 13 and this week passed Senate Bill 800, both significant reforms that open up the state’s initiative process to citizens.

SJR 13 is an amendment to the state constitution that ties the percentage of signatures needed to qualify an initiative for the ballot to the votes cast for governor. Currently the number of signatures needed fluctuates significantly between the votes cast for governor and the votes cast for president because turnout in presidential elections is higher. The amendment will go before the voters in November of 2010.

SB 800 moves challenges to the “gist statement” and ballot language to before signatures are collected. Currently approval of the language comes after signatures are turned in, often resulting in hundreds of thousands of signatures being thrown out.

HB 2246 and SB 800 must both be signed by Governor Brad Henry before becoming law.