Senate Bill 1027 gives a broad cross-section of Oklahomans a voice in what qualifies for the ballot by establishing that no more than 10% of the total number of initiative petition signatures come from any one county with more than 400,000 residents. In addition, no more than 4% of signatures shall come from any one county with less than 400,000 residents.
Bullard’s bill also proposes greater transparency in the initiative petition process by requiring paid signature gatherers to disclose their financial backers and mandating that only registered Oklahoma voters are eligible to gather signatures. Under this bill, only Oklahoma residents or groups could pay signature gatherers. The bill further proposes simplifying the language of petition summaries, or gists, and requiring that these summaries explicitly state whether a petition will have a fiscal impact.
“These changes are long overdue to protect Oklahoma’s laws from being hijacked by out-of-state special interest groups pushing an agenda that goes against our local values,” Bullard said. “These guardrails will bring greater transparency to the initiative petition process and give more Oklahomans, not just the urban elites in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, a say in what questions qualify for the ballot. It’s time to ensure that rural Oklahomans have a voice in this process and that our laws reflect the will of the people, not the wealthy outside influences trying to buy their way onto the ballot.”
If approved by the Legislature and signed into law, SB 1027 would apply to all initiative petitions for which the Oklahoma Secretary of State has not yet set dates for signature collection. The Secretary of State would also have to establish a process for voters to request the removal of their signature from a petition.
The bill now moves to the House, where it is coauthored by Speaker Kyle Hilbert, R-Bristow.
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