Saturday, March 30, 2019

1889 Institute: OK Bar Association lawsuit exposes issues beyond just free speech



ISSUES WITH ATTORNEY LICENSING BIGGER THAN SCHELL v. WILLIAMS
The problems go beyond violations of free speech

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (March 29, 2019) – In its February 2019 report, “The Oklahoma Supreme Court’s Unchecked Abuse of Power in Attorney Regulation,” the 1889 Institute brought up the free speech issue over which Mark Schell, a Tulsa attorney, is suing the Oklahoma Bar Association. The lawsuit, and 1889’s report, argue that requiring attorneys to be members of, and pay mandatory dues to, the Oklahoma Bar Association violates the First Amendment. These requirements amount to forced speech since the Association uses part of the dues to advocate political positions many attorneys find personally objectionable.

The 1889 Institute’s report identifies another highly important issue not being litigated, but that should be urgently addressed. As described in the publication, the Oklahoma Supreme Court has violated the fundamental constitutional principle of the separation of powers. It did so by commandeering legislative and executive powers, declaring for itself sole power to authorize and administer attorney licensing in Oklahoma. In so doing, the Oklahoma Supreme Court declared it had the power to control all aspects of the practice of law in Oklahoma, not just practice before Oklahoma’s state courts. The other two branches did nothing to protect their usurped constitutional powers.

“My hope is that this lawsuit will spark a wider discussion and ultimately, more extensive reform in both how Oklahoma regulates attorneys and in how we select our judges,” said Ben Lepak, Legal Fellow at the 1889 Institute. “Judges and attorneys in Oklahoma are part of a system of regulation that violates the Oklahoma and U.S. Constitutions, undermining the Rule of Law,” he said.

“The federal lawsuit is attempting to tackle one narrow aspect of the problem,” said Lepak. “That is a positive development, but far more fundamental reform is needed. If the state Supreme Court won’t act on its own to remedy these constitutional violations, the state legislature and governor should re-assert their authority and override the Court.”


About the 1889 Institute
The 1889 Institute is an Oklahoma think tank committed to independent, principled state policy fostering limited and responsible government, free enterprise and a robust civil society. The publication, “The Oklahoma Supreme Court’s Unchecked Abuse of Power in Attorney Regulation” can be found on the nonprofit’s website at http://www.1889institute.org/licensing

from MuskogeePolitico.com

Thursday, March 28, 2019

Gov. Stitt requests audit of OMES division



GOVERNOR KEVIN STITT AND CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER JOHN BUDD ANNOUNCE PLANS TO AUDIT FINANCES OF INFORMATION SERVICES DIVISION OF THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND ENTERPRISE SERVICES

Oklahoma City, Okla. (March 28, 2019)— Governor Kevin Stitt, in conjunction with his Chief Operating Officer John Budd, announced today that he has submitted a request to the Oklahoma Auditor and Inspector’s Office for an audit of the finances of the Information Services Division of the Office of Management and Enterprise Services for the period July 1, 2017 through February 28, 2019.

“We expect all state agencies to be accountable to Oklahoma taxpayers,” said Stitt. “OMES is no exception. We have every reason to believe that OMES has unmet funding needs for the Information Services Division, as noted in the agency’s supplemental budget request. At the same time, as we have spent the first two months of our administration digging into ISD’s finances, we believe that an outside-in view of the division’s budgeting, billing, accounts receivable, and accounts payable processes will help us better understand the inherited cash-flow issues and how we can make permanent improvements.”

“The agency submitted a request for roughly $23 million in supplemental funds last October,” said Budd, who also has served as OMES Director since January. “Since our new administration arrived on Inauguration Day in January, we have further examined the numbers and have reduced that request by about one-third. We are continuing to look for efficiencies. Every additional day our team spends trying to explain a situation the new administration inherited is a day we are not focused on making service better for other State Agencies and the citizens of Oklahoma. The State Auditor’s team will do an exceptional job of assessing OMES’s processes and history, and we welcome their involvement in delivering a better, more efficient state agency.”

Gov. Stitt and COO Budd have asked that the scope of the audit include the following:

  • Review of processes to estimate cash in-flows and out-flows for Fiscal 2018 and Fiscal 2019, as part of budgeting process
  • Performance audit of OMES ISD billing and accounts receivable processes
  • Performance audit of OMES ISD accountable payable process


from MuskogeePolitico.com

Bipartisan Task Force Recommends Restarting House Page Program



Bipartisan Task Force Recommends Restarting House Page Program

OKLAHOMA CITY – The bipartisan task force assigned to evaluate the House of Representatives’ Page Program has voted unanimously to restart the program beginning next week with the implementation of immediate changes. The Page Program Task Force has recommended moving to male only and female only weeks through the end of the legislative session as they continue to evaluate the program and study best practices from other states. The Task Force has also recommended increasing security for the program. Based upon those recommendations, House Speaker Charles McCall (R-Atoka) announced the program will restart beginning Monday, April 1. The Task Force will continue to meet as it evaluates the program to consider additional changes.

“We believe this is a program worth having, and that we should continue to provide these opportunities for our students,” said Task Force Chairman Terry O’Donnell, R-Catoosa. “We are taking the protection of our pages very seriously, and we are making immediate changes that will enhance safety for our participants. We will continue to look at the program from a long-term perspective as the task force meets over the next few weeks. The page program is a very valuable experience for our students who participate and it is a way for lawmakers to connect with their communities. We will continue to be diligent in examining our current procedures, but we don’t want to punish those young people who hope to learn about the Legislature and maybe develop a life-long appreciation for public service.”

“The page program is a unique and historic education opportunity for Oklahoma students,” said House Minority Leader Emily Virgin, D-Norman. “I appreciate the quick work of committee members to ensure that students from across the state still have access to the program.”

“The safety of our pages is my number one priority in this process,” said Task Force Vice Chair Carol Bush, R-Tulsa. “We have looked at our current protocols and made some adjustments that we believe will protect our students and allow the program to be reinstated quickly. This is just the first step. We will continue to evaluate the program and make recommendations for changes that will protect our students in the long term.”

“This committee had two primary goals,” said Task Force member Ben Loring, D-Miami. “First, we wanted to make certain that future pages will be safe. Second, as long as we accomplished the first goal, we wanted to keep the program open and accessible to Oklahoma students throughout the remainder of session. I feel like we have accomplished both of these goals.”

from MuskogeePolitico.com

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Voter Registration Maps: Party Growth, 2018 to 2019


Continuing my Voter Registration Maps series update, here are maps representing the changes in percentage by county of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.

The OKGOP posted the lowest statewide increase and lost ground in more counties than any other year since I started making these voter registration maps in 2013. Republicans gained as a percentage of registered voters in 71 counties, while declining in 6 counties. The greatest loss was in Oklahoma County (-0.8%) while the greatest increase was in Haskell County (+4.35%).

The six counties that posted GOP slides were Oklahoma (-0.8%), Tulsa (-0.6%), Cleveland (-0.45%), Canadian (-0.26%), Garfield (-0.19%), and Payne (-0.08%).

Counties in the west, south, and southeast had the best growth for the GOP, ranging from +2.5% to +4.35% as a percentage of voters.



As with every year since 2014, Democrats declined as a percentage of registered voters in all 77 counties. The smallest loss was in Oklahoma County (-0.28%) while the greatest was in Haskell County (-5.19%).

The bleeding is slowing in metro counties -- Oklahoma (-0.28%), Cleveland (0.55%), Canadian (-0.66%), and Tulsa (-0.37%), as well as Payne County (-0.9%). These five counties have declined by less than 1% this year and last year

Independents recovered from their nearly-stagnant growth last year, increasing as a percentage of voters in all but four counties. Harper County had the greatest loss at -0.27%, while Cherokee County had the greatest growth at 1.31%.

from MuskogeePolitico.com

Map: Majority/Plurality Party by County




In this update to my Voter Registration Maps series, we're looking at majority/plurality party by county.

Republican majority: 31 counties (27 in 2018)
Republican plurality: 12 counties (13 in 2018)
Democratic plurality: 12 counties (8 in 2018)
Democratic majority: 22 counties (29 in 2018)

There are multiple majority-Democratic counties that are in the low-50% range, and many of them will likely slip down into plurality status next year.

For comparison, here's the map from last year.

from MuskogeePolitico.com

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

[MuskogeePolitico.com] DC delegation reacts to no-Russian-collusion report; voter registration maps update

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Treat appoints senators to pension working group



Pro Tem Greg Treat appoints senators to pension working group

OKLAHOMA CITY – President Pro Tempore Greg Treat appointed seven senators on Monday to serve on a pension working group to study long-term pension reform as well as make recommendations to his office on pending pension reform legislation.

Pending in the Senate is a House bill that would provide a 4 percent cost of living adjustment (COLA) to retired public employees at a price tag of $850 million to the retirement systems. Pro Tem Treat said the working group would review that legislation, as well as study how to protect and further the gains made to improve the financial stability of state pension funds.

“When Republicans took over in 2010, many of the state pension systems were in poor financial shape after years of mismanagement by previous leaders at the Capitol. Not only did that threaten the retirement of future state employees, it negatively affected the state’s bond rating and made it more expensive for schools, local governments, and the state to borrow money for important capital projects,” said Treat, R-Oklahoma City. “Republican leaders made considerable progress in reforming pensions, most notably requiring COLAs to be fully funded. Senate Republicans understand public employees, who have served the state admirably, want a COLA; however, it’s important we take prudent fiscal action to ensure we don’t threaten the progress made in making our pension systems more stable. The working group will help us gain a fuller picture of current pension legislation and other potential issues that need to be addressed moving forward.”

Pro Tem Treat gave the working group an April 4 deadline, one week before the April 11 committee deadline, to report recommendations to his office on pending pension legislation. The members of the pension working group are:

  • Senator Jason Smalley, R-Stroud
  • Senator Marty Quinn, R-Claremore
  • Senator Gary Stanislawski, R-Tulsa
  • Senator Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle
  • Senator Dewayne Pemberton, R-Muskogee
  • Senator Tom Dugger, R-Stillwater,
  • Senator John Michael Montgomery, R-Lawton


from MuskogeePolitico.com

OK congressional delegation comments on release of Mueller report


Following Sunday's release of Special Counsel Robert Meuller's report on the "Russian collusion" investigation that vindicated President Trump and his 2016 campaign, the Oklahoma congressional delegation (with the exception of 2nd District GOP Rep. Markwayne Mullin and 5th District Democratic Rep. Kendra Horn) issued their statements on the news:

REP. HERN STATEMENT ON CONCLUSION OF SPECIAL COUNSEL INVESTIGATION

WASHINGTON, DC - Representative Kevin Hern (OK-01) released the following statement after the conclusion of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into President Donald Trump.

“As I expected, Special Counsel Robert Mueller found no evidence of conspiracy or collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. Tens of millions of taxpayer dollars and nearly two years of time were wasted in pursuit of this pointless investigation,” said Rep. Hern.  “I think many of my colleagues need to apologize for the hateful and baseless accusations they’ve made against the President, looking to divide our country and discredit the accomplishments of President Trump’s administration. I look forward to the speedy release of the full report to Congress and the public. The American people deserve to see the full results of this massive waste of time and money. In the meantime, Congress can return our focus to the real issues in our country, eliminating regulations on job creators, putting Americans back to work, empowering our people to earn better wages and realize their American Dream.”

On March 14, 2019, Congress unanimously voted in favor of a resolution to make the full report of the investigation public. Rep. Hern supported this bill, you can find his statement on its passage here.

Inhofe Statement on Mueller Report

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.) made the following statement after Attorney General Barr released his primary conclusions from the Mueller investigation:

“The summary of the Mueller report Attorney General Barr provided to Congress today was clear: there was no evidence of collusion or obstruction of justice—and this was after nearly a two-year investigation with virtually bottomless resources. Maybe now the Democrats can stop feeding Russia’s goal of sowing discord and start working with Republicans on behalf of American families.”

Senator Lankford Issues Statement on Mueller Report

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) issued the following statement on the conclusion of the investigation lead by Robert Mueller into interference by Russia in the 2016 presidential election.

“After two years, $25 million, 500 interviews, 2,800 subpoenas, 500 search warrants, and a team of 19 lawyers and 40 FBI agents, Mr. Mueller was able to complete an exhaustive, comprehensive report that concluded that President Trump did not conspire with Russia to interfere in the 2016 election. The initial summary of the report did not find any evidence that his campaign or anyone associated with it cooperated with Russia to interfere in the election. Now that the investigation has concluded, I believe that the American people should be able to read as much as possible of the report and Congress should get back to legislating.

“During my time on the Senate Intelligence Committee, we worked on a bipartisan investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. We also did not find that anyone with the Trump campaign colluded with Russia to interfere, but it was clear that Russia has continued to work to infiltrate our elections. They were unsuccessful in 2016, but Congress should remain vigilant to address the weaknesses in our voting systems to stop any foreign adversaries from meddling in our election system in the future.”


Lucas Statement on Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Report

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Frank Lucas (OK-03) released the following statement regarding the completion of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and the principal summary written by United States Attorney General William Barr.

“After two years, two congressional investigations, more than 2,800 subpoenas, 500 witness interviews, and millions of taxpayer dollars, it is undeniably clear that there was no collusion between President Donald Trump’s campaign and the Russian government. The summary of the Special Counsel’s investigation, written by Attorney General William Barr, clearly validates what millions of Americans already knew and what the frenzied media and Democrats refused to acknowledge: that Democrats have lost touch with main street America and will push outlandish theories in order to discredit a President.

I hope the report will at last bring a close to the wild-goose chase perpetuated by Democrats so that we may finally focus on the issues that affect the lives of the American people.”

Cole Statement on Special Counsel Mueller’s Completed Investigation

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement regarding completion of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation and the principal summary of the findings described by Attorney General William Barr. The Special Counsel’s report determined that there was no collusion between Russia and President Donald Trump or his campaign, nor did President Trump commit obstruction according to Attorney General Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein.

“While it’s unfortunate that it took a costly and lengthy investigation to reach this point, Democratic suspicions were finally proven false. There was no collusion between Russia and the Campaign of President Donald Trump,” said Cole. “With completion of the Special Counsel’s incredibly thorough investigation, I hope Democrats will decide to accept the truth of the conclusions and turn their attention and energy toward working on more important issues for the American people. There is no reason for more damaging and divisive distractions that are motivated simply by the desire to condemn President Trump.”



from MuskogeePolitico.com

Monday, March 25, 2019

Music Monday: Transcendental Étude No. 4, "Mazeppa"


This week's Music Monday is Transcendental Étude No. 4 in D minor, "Mazeppa", composed by 19th-century Hungarian composer Franz Liszt, and performed here by Russian virtuoso pianist Daniil Trifonov.


Enjoy!

See below for all previous Music Monday posts. Do you have a song you'd like to suggest for a future Music Monday? Email me at JamisonFaught@MuskogeePolitico.com.

March 18th, 2019: St. Patrick's Day in the Morning
March 11th, 2019: What Wondrous Love is This
March 4th, 2019: Scandinavian Waltz
February 18th, 2019: Adagio for Strings
February 11th, 2019: 'Romance' from 'The Gadfly'
February 4th, 2019: Columbia, Gem of the Ocean
January 7th, 2019: Loch Lomond
December 31st, 2018: Auld Lang Syne
December 24th, 2018: Remember O, thou Man
December 17th, 2018: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
December 10th, 2018: Carol of the Bells (medley)
December 3rd, 2018: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
November 26th, 2018: Happy Birthday
November 19th, 2018: My Heart is Filled with Thankfulness
November 12th, 2018: Hymn to the Fallen
October 29th, 2018: A Mighty Fortress is Our God
October 22nd, 2018: Hymn to Red October
October 15th, 2018:  Indian Reservation ("Cherokee People")
October 8th, 2018: Wagner's 'Columbus Overture'
October 1st, 2018: Danny Boy
September 24th, 2018: Dvorak's 'From The New World' Symphony, 4th Movement
September 17th, 2018: Deep River
September 10th, 2018: Muleskinner Blues
September 3rd, 2018: Boomer Sooner
August 20th, 2018: Psalm 23
August 13th, 2018: Ashokan Farewell
August 6, 2018: How the West Was Won
July 23rd, 2018: I Just Can't Wait to Be King
July 16th, 2018: 'Jupiter' from 'The Planets'
July 9th, 2018: Hail to the Spirit of Liberty
July 2nd, 2018: Turn The Tide
June 25th, 2018: Good Guys Win
June 18th, 2018: Watching You
June 11th, 2018: Adoration
June 4th, 2018: March from 'A Moorside Suite'
May 28th, 2018: Taps
May 21st, 2018: Listz's La Campanella
May 14th, 2018: Handful of Weeds
May 7th, 2018: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing
April 30th, 2018: Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53 ("Heroic")
April 23rd, 2018: Blow Ye The Trumpet
April 16th, 2018: Asturias (Leyenda)
April 9th, 2018: Old Mountain Dew
April 2nd, 2018: His Life For Mine
March 19th, 2018: See, the Conqu'ring Hero Comes!
March 12th, 2018: Choctaw Nation
March 5th, 2018: Hark, I Hear The Harps Eternal
February 19th, 2018: The Olympic Spirit
February 12th, 2018: Olympic Fanfare and Theme
January 29th, 2018: Hail to the Chief
January 23rd, 2018: Waltz in A-Flat Major, Op. 39 No. 15
January 15th, 2018: Bleed The Same
January 8th, 2018: Saint-Saëns' Symphony No.3 'Organ' (Maestoso)
December 25th, 2017: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
December 18th, 2017: I Saw Three Ships (The Piano Guys)
December 11th, 2017:Who Is He In Yonder Stall
December 4th, 2017: Carol of the Bells (Mannheim Steamroller)
November 27th, 2017: Joy to the World!
November 20th, 2017: We Gather Together
November 13th, 2017: Mansions of the Lord
November 6th, 2017: Träumerei
October 30th: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
October 23rd, 2017: In Christ Alone
October 16th, 2017: When I'm Knee Deep In Bluegrass
October 9th, 2017: I Pledge Allegiance to the Lamb
October 2nd, 2017: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat major (Brahms)
September 25th, 2017: Beethoven's Sonata No. 8 in C minor ('Pathétique')
September 11th, 2017: Have You Forgotten?
September 4th, 2017: Bach's Double Violin Concerto
August 28th, 2017: Noah Found Grace In The Eyes Of The Lord
August 21st, 2017: The Heavens Are Telling The Glory of God
August 14th, 2017: Beethoven's 5th Symphony
August 7th, 2017: 'Lift High The Name Of Jesus' medley
July 31st, 2017: Fanfare for the Common Man
July 24th, 2017: Variations on 'Happy Birthday'
July 10th, 2017: Summer (Presto) from Vivaldi's Four Seasons
July 3rd, 2017: Freelance Fireworks Hall of Fame
June 26th, 2017: Praise to the Lord, the Almighty
June 19th, 2017: A Christian Home
June 12th, 2017: Ol' Man River
June 5th, 2017: Choctaw Cowboy
May 29th, 2017: Armed Forces Salute
May 22nd, 2017: Double Bass Concerto No.2 in B minor
May 15th, 2017: Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D major
May 8th, 2017: The Army Goes Rolling Along
April 17th, 2017: He Is Alive
April 10th, 2017: Surely He Hath Borne/And With His Stripes/All We Like Sheep
April 3rd, 2017: Here Comes Carolina
March 27th, 2017: 'Spring' from Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons'
March 20th, 2017: Symphony No. 5 ("Reformation") Finale
March 13th, 2017: The Pigeon on the Gate
March 6th, 2017: Finlandia
February 27th, 2017: When I Can Read My Title Clear
February 20th, 2017: William Tell Overture - Finale
February 13th, 2017: 'Romance' from 'The Gadfly'
February 6th, 2017: White Winter Hymnal
January 30th, 2017: Hail, Columbia
January 23rd, 2017: Hail to the Chief
January 16th, 2017: Come, Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy
January 2nd, 2017: Auld Lang Syne
December 26th, 2016: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
December 19th, 2016: I Wonder as I Wander
December 12th, 2016: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
December 5th, 2016: A Christmas Festival
November 28th, 2016: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
November 21st: Beethoven's 'Hymn of Thanksgiving'
November 14th: Hymn to the Fallen
November 7th: This World Is Not My Home
October 31st, 2016: A Mighty Fortress Is Our God
October 24th, 2016: 'Mars', from 'The Planets'
October 17th, 2016: My Shepherd Will Supply My Need
October 10th, 2016: Spain
October 3rd, 2016: International Harvester
September 26th, 2016: 'The Imperial March' from Star Wars
September 19th, 2016: Awake the Trumpet's Lofty Sound
September 12th, 2016: Before the Throne of God Above
September 5th, 2016: The Hunt
August 29th, 2016: Liberty
August 22nd, 2016: Summon the Heroes
August 15th, 2016: Bugler's Dream
August 8th, 2016: Olympic Fanfare and Theme
August 1st, 2016: 'Prelude' and 'Parade of the Charioteers' from Ben-Hur
July 25th, 2016: How The West Was Won
July 18th, 2016: Six Studies in English Folk Song
July 11th, 2016: From Everlasting To Everlasting
July 4th, 2016: The Stars and Stripes Forever
June 27th, 2016: Rule, Britannia!
June 20st, 2016: Bugler's Holiday
June 13th, 2016: Ride of the Valkyries
June 6th, 2016: Piano Concerto in A Minor, Op. 54, Allegro Vivace
May 30th, 2016: Armed Forces Salute
May 23rd, 2016: Paid in Full (Through Jesus, Amen)
May 16th, 2016: Overture from 'Carmen'
May 9th, 2016: L'Arlesienne Suite No. 1 - Prelude
May 2nd, 2016: My God Is a Rock
April 25th, 2016: Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
April 18th, 2016: Paganini's Caprice No. 24 in A Minor
April 11th, 2016: Fantasia on a 17th Century Tune
April 4th, 2016: Hark The Sound/I'm a Tarheel Born
March 28th, 2016: Rustle of Spring
March 21st, 2016: 'Ode to Joy' sung by a 10,000-voice choir
March 14th, 2016: Hard Times Come Again No More
March 7th, 2016: 'The Suite' from Downton Abbey
February 29th, 2016: Moonlight Sonata
February 22nd, 2016: Liebestraum No. 3
February 15th, 2016: Help Is On The Way
February 8th, 2016: God of Grace and God of Glory
February 1st, 2016: 'My Story'
January 25th, 2016: Israeli Concertino
January 18th, 2016: What Grace is Mine
January 11th, 2016: "Meditation" from Thaïs
January 4th, 2016: Praeludium and Allegro
December 28th, 2015: Appalachian Carol
December 21st, 2015: God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
December 14th, 2015: O Holy Night
December 7th, 2015: Christmas Fantasy
November 23rd, 2015: Simple Gifts
November 16th, 2015: Preacher Tell Me Like It Is
November 9th, 2015: Armed Forces Salute
November 2nd, 2015: Amazing Grace
October 26th, 2015: The Harmonious Blacksmith
October 19th, 2015: Liberty Fanfare
October 12th, 2015: The Majesty and Glory of Your Name
October 5th, 2015: Elgar's 'Enigma' Finale
September 28th, 2015: Stayed on Jesus
September 21st, 2015: Great Gate of Kiev
September 14th, 2015: Nearer, My God, To Thee

from MuskogeePolitico.com

County-by-county voter registration swings, 2018 to 2019



This Voter Registration Maps series post shows the county-by-county trend in voter registration since last January.

Registration swung toward the Republican Party in 75 counties, with the only exceptions being Tulsa and Oklahoma counties. Haskell County had the largest swing, posting a shift to the GOP of 9.55%. Oklahoma County slid 0.53% toward the Democrats, and Tulsa County shifted 0.23% toward the Democrats.

from MuskogeePolitico.com

Oklahoma Voter Registration Map, January 2019


(click image to view larger)
In the latest installment of my long-running Voter Registration Maps series, we will once again take a look at voter registration across the state. These statistics are from the annual January 15th report from the State Election Board. I'm a bit behind on posting these, but better late than never.

Since last January, the GOP has taken a one-voter lead(!) in Roger Mills County as well as taken the lead in Garvin and Carter counties. Looking forward, the next counties likely to fall to the red wave are Comanche (1.37% Democrat lead), Cotton (1.61% Democrat lead), Marshall (4.85% Democrat lead), Pontotoc (current 4.91% Democrat lead), and Kiowa (5.45% Democrat lead).

Coal County is now the lone county with over 70% registered Democrats -- but just barely (70.94%). Major County is the most polarized county, with 76.98% Republicans and 14.93% Democrats.

Comanche County has the highest percentage of registered Independent voters at 19.35%, while Payne County has the highest percentage of registered Libertarians at 0.662%.

from MuskogeePolitico.com

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Pro Tem Treat announces bipartisan working group for Senate confirmation process



Pro Tem Greg Treat announces bipartisan working group for Senate confirmation process

OKLAHOMA CITY – Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Treat on Wednesday announced the members of a bipartisan working group to study the Senate’s confirmation process for executive nominations.

Pro Tem Treat made the announcement a week after new laws went into effect giving the governor the ability to hire and fire the heads of five of the largest state agencies. To ensure the proper vetting of executive nominations moving forward, Pro Tem Treat said he has tasked the working group with developing recommendations on how to make the Senate confirmation process more thorough and complete.

“I made the commitment to members of the Senate while advocating for this new appointment power for the governor that I would appoint a bipartisan working group to ensure the Senate confirmation process would be thorough and complete,” said Treat, R-Oklahoma City. “Senate confirmation of executive nominations has always been an important function of the institution. With the new gubernatorial appointments of agency directors, it’s even more important that we get it right and thoroughly vet executive nominations to ensure the men and women nominated are qualified and capable leaders who will serve the state of Oklahoma well. I look forward to reviewing the recommendations of the working group.”

Pro Tem Treat has set a deadline of April 4th for the working group to submit its recommendations to his office. The members of the working group are:

  • Senator Kim David, R-Porter
  • Senator Roger Thompson, R-Okemah
  • Senator Frank Simpson, R-Springer
  • Senator Rob Standridge, R-Norman
  • Senator Darrell Weaver, R-Moore
  • Senator Kay Floyd, D-Oklahoma City
  • Senator Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City


from MuskogeePolitico.com