OKLAHOMA CITY – Republican state lawmakers are inching closer to pushing through Senate Bill 1027, a measure that would drastically limit the number of Oklahoma residents eligible to sign citizen petitions.
Republicans, who hold a supermajority in the Oklahoma Legislature and dominate every branch of state government, claim the bill’s purpose is to keep out-of-state entities from influencing Oklahoma’s laws. SB 1027 would prevent anyone who is not an Oklahoma voter from signing, circulating or funding a citizen petition in the state.
However, Democratic lawmakers and some outspoken residents argue the bill is an attempt to stop Oklahoma voters from passing progressive policies. The most controversial aspect of the bill involves limiting how many voters from any Oklahoma county can be counted on a citizen petition.
Instead of anyone from any part of the state being able to sign a citizen petition, the bill would limit the number of signatures that can be included from each county. Only 11.5% percent of signatures from any county would be eligible for a citizen petition that alters state laws, and only 20.8% of of signatures from any county would be eligible for a petition that alters the Oklahoma Constitution.
The measure would also give the Secretary of State, a Republican, the power to decide by themselves whether or not a petition meets the requirement. Notably, citizen petitions are not made into laws themselves. If a petition gains enough signatures, it goes to a ballot vote for all Oklahomans to decide.
Republican House Speaker Kyle Hilbert, a proponent of the bill, has argued the current process favors the urban centers of Oklahoma City and Tulsa over rural communities.
“All this does is require people to go out to multiple counties instead of just sticking to the two urban metros to get their signatures,” Hilbert said in a House committee last week. Yet, the bill would limit the input from urban and rural communities alike.
Citizen petition process faces radical regulation
Democratic state Rep. Mickey Dollens has been advocating to expand the state’s citizen petition process for years. Oklahoma currently has the shortest window to gather signatures of any state, at just 90 days.
“Now, how volunteers go out and complete the necessary required signatures within a limited 90-day-window is a near mathematical impossibility, which is the purpose of this bill,” Dollens told the Black Wall Street Times.
A report from Oklahoma Policy Institute shows as many as 2.2 million of the 2.3 registered voters in the state, roughly 94%, could lose their constitutionally-protected right to sign a citizen petition.
For instance, of the 222,554 eligible voters in Oklahoma County, home to the state’s largest city, only 25,594 signatures would be eligible to be counted. Meanwhile, in rural Cimarron County, of the 733 eligible voters, only 84 signatures would be considered for counting.
Rep. Dollens tried to push an amendment that would double the window for gathering signatures from 90 days to 180, but he was denied.
“So I think that makes it pretty evident what this is about. It’s not about getting more signatures from rural Oklahoma. This is about silencing the voice of Oklahomans,” Rep. Dollens told the Black Wall Street Times.
Progressive policies through citizen petition
In recent years, as conservative Oklahoma laws sailed through the State Capitol, Oklahoma voters have been signaling an openness to more progressive policies through the petition process.
Despite voting for Republican President Donald Trump at a higher rate than any other state, the citizen petition process has remained virtually the only avenue for Oklahomans to directly influence democracy.
In 2016, Oklahomans voted 58%-42% to pass State Question 780, which reclassified some simple drug possession and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. That same year, they voted 56% to 44% in favor of using the savings from the reclassification to support mental health funding in local communities.
In 2018, Oklahoma established a medical cannabis industry after voters voted nearly 57% to 43% to approve SQ 788. And despite fierce opposition, Oklahomans narrowly approved medicaid expansion through citizen petition after voting 50.49% to 49.51% to approve SQ 802 in 2020.
Oklahomans also narrowly failed to gather enough signatures to recall a permitless gun carry bill, though they came close to placing it on the ballot.
Despite the alarm raised against SB 1027, Republican support for the bill appears to remain strong. Oklahoma Kati King Lee shared an email response they received from far-right Republican state Rep. Jim Olsen after they asked him to vote against the bill.
“Kati, if Oklahoma is so bad, why do you live here,” Rep. Olsen wrote.
What’s next for SB 1027?
The bill regulating and limiting Oklahoma’s citizen petition process is scheduled for a House floor vote before heading back to the Senate for a final vote on the amendments. If approved, it will be sent to Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt’s desk for signature into law.
The bill includes an emergency clause, requiring it to go into effect immediately if signed into law. That would prevent Oklahomans from being able to launch a veto referendum to strike down the bill.
Meanwhile, Rep. Dollens hopes Republicans will listen to Oklahomans opposing the measure.
“In that last committee meeting on Senate Bill, 1027, it was acknowledged several times that over 300 people have called and emailed in opposition to that bill,” Rep. Dollens said. “Yes, it still passed, but there were two Republicans who voted no. They’re aware that people aren’t just going to roll over and allow this to go through without making their voices heard.”
Rep. Dollens is urging residents to make calls and show up at the state Capitol during session to reach lawmakers.
“I do acknowledge that frustration can often lead to silence for a lot of people, and there’s nothing wrong with resting and taking time to recharge your batteries, but we need everyone in the game. We need everyone to resist and to make their voices heard,” Dollens said.
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