Bill supporting recall elections advances in Oklahoma Legislature

Oklahomans upset with how their elected officials are performing wouldn’t have to wait for the next election under a bill moving through the state Senate.

Senate Bill 990 by Bill Coleman, R-Ponca City, advanced through the Senate Judiciary Committee on a 7-1 vote Tuesday. However, its title was stricken, a legislative maneuver that allows bills to move forward as the final language is tweaked.

The bill’s current language proposes allowing the House and Senate to initiate a recall election via a joint resolution. Coleman said he intends to amend the bill to mirror Oklahoma’s initiative petition process, but with a greater than 50% threshold required to pass. Petitioners would also have to list one of several acceptable reasons for seeking the recall.

“I believe the will of the people should be overturned by the people,” Coleman said.

The bill comes as two statewide elected officials, Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett and Secretary of Education Ryan Walters, face ethics investigations and calls to resign. There’s also been controversy surrounding legislators accused of criminal misconduct.

Legislative leaders have historically been hesitant to remove elected officials. The last impeachment proceedings were held in 2004, when the House voted to remove insurance commissioner Carroll Fisher after she was charged with embezzlement. She resigned before the Senate convened.

Nineteen states allow voters to recall statewide elected officials, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Most attempts, including an attempted recall of California Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021, have been unsuccessful.

Removal of elected officials is more common at the municipal level, where Oklahoma and more than 30 other states allow cities to establish a recall process. For instance, last year Enid voters initiated a recall petition and successfully ousted Judd Blevins, a former city council member with white nationalist ties.

Oklahoma Watch (OklahomaWatch.org) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that covers public-policy issues facing the state.