Campaign Finance and Election Threats task force releases recommendations for reform

Governor Stitt Announces Recommendations from Task Force on Campaign Finance and Election Threats

OKLAHOMA CITY (April 3, 2024) - Today, Governor Stitt announced the recommendations from his Task Force on Campaign Finance and Election Threats. The Task Force studied Oklahoma's ethics regulations and election administration, gathering data, reviewing case law, and conducting interviews to determine what changes are necessary to ensure the state's elections are secure.

"This Task Force was charged with investigating the most critical aspect of our republic: ensuring our elections are free and fair. I'm grateful for Task Force members for doing so thoroughly," said Governor Stitt. "Oklahomans can rest assured that the elections in our state are the most well-run in the nation. I encourage my colleagues in the Legislature to review and adopt these recommendations so we can continue leading the nation in election integrity."

The Task Force recommends the Legislature, Election Board, and the Ethics Commission adopt a number of actions relating to elections, ethics, and independent expenditures, summarized below:

Although the Election Board orders a post-election audit of at least one race in every county to verify accuracy of the results, the Task Force recommends amending state statute to mandate the random post-election audits.

• Banning ranked-choice voting.
• Ensure efficient protections by regulating the use of artificial intelligence.
• Modifying contribution limits to candidates, parties, PACs, and non-corporate entities to combat spending advantages held by independent expenditures, and increasing the individual contributing reporting requirement from $50 to $200.
• Banning foreign expenditures and adding additional disclosure requirements to independent expenditure filings.
• Partnering with tribes to increase communication and cooperation to resolve election crimes and campaign finance violations.

“Over the months that the Task Force worked together, we held meaningful discussions and collaborated to develop the report,” said Task Force Chairman AJ Ferate. “It is our expectation that the contents of the report will be seriously considered, and our hope that our recommendations will be acted upon.”

After scrutinizing the election systems and rules, the Task Force concluded that Oklahoma's election system is one of the strongest in the nation, citing successful audits to verify results and the integrity of Oklahoma election officials. The Task Force's recommendations further strengthen Oklahoma's electoral process through modernization and increasing transparency and fairness.

The recommendations from the Governor's Task Force on Campaign Finance and Election Threats can be read in full here.