OCPA praises approval of initiative-petition reforms

OCPA praises approval of initiative-petition reforms

OKLAHOMA CITY (April 8, 2025)—Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs President Jonathan Small today praised members of the House Elections and Ethics Committee for advancing common-sense initiative petition reforms.

“Senate Bill 1027 would increase public transparency and also require that proposed ballot measures receive support from Oklahomans across the state before being placed before voters,” Small said. “These are common-sense reforms with broad appeal. House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, state Senator David Bullard, and Senate President Pro Tempore Lonnie Paxton, in particular, deserve praise for taking on this important issue. It’s notable that the main opponents of these reforms want Oklahoma to adopt a California-style election system that has often excluded Republicans from statewide elections in that state. Sometimes, you really can judge a man by his enemies.”

Senate Bill 1027 requires that the gist of a proposition, the description of a proposed ballot measure provided to voters, use simple language that clearly describes the proposal and avoids jargon understood by only a subset of the population.

The bill also requires that those gathering signatures must be Oklahoma registered voters, and signature-gatherers must publicly reveal if they are being paid by outside entities to circulate a petition and identify their funders.

The bill requires that a petition also inform voters of a proposal’s fiscal impact, which could require either tax increases or the diversion of funds from other uses.

SB 1027 also requires that those who sign a petition must first read the full ballot title for the proposed measure.

The legislation requires that initiative petitions receive signatures from Oklahomans across the state, not only those living within a few concentrated areas.

SB 1027 passed the House Elections and Ethics Committee this week on a 6-1 vote.

The Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs promotes the flourishing of the people of Oklahoma by advancing principles and policies that support free enterprise, limited government, personal responsibility, individual initiative, and strong families.