With a new year comes a slew of issues and storylines to follow.
After some time off, the Oklahoma Watch team is back at it planning stories to tackle in 2025. This includes a mix of long-term investigations and continuing coverage of issues affecting Oklahomans.
Here are some of the main storylines I plan on following over the next 12 months:
Will tax cuts make it across the finish line?
Talk of tax cuts is nothing new among Oklahoma’s Republican supermajority legislature. But with new leadership in the House and Senate and a slew of lawmakers elected on promises of lowering taxes, the dynamics will be different this time around.
Last year the House and Senate aligned on eliminating the state portion of the grocery sales tax, saving Oklahomans about $4.50 for every $100 worth of groceries purchased. The discussion this session will likely center on the state’s income tax, as Gov. Kevin Stitt and others make the case that Oklahoma needs to eliminate the tax to be competitive with states like Texas and Florida.
For more information on this topic, check out my Dec. 16 newsletter.
Who will announce their candidacy for governor?
It’s expected to be a crowded field of gubernatorial candidates in 2026, particularly in the Republican party as Gov. Kevin Stitt terms out.
While the formal filing period isn’t until April 2026, candidates have historically launched their campaigns in the year prior. For instance, 2022 Democratic nominee Joy Hofmeister announced her candidacy in October 2021.
Those rumored to be considering a run include Attorney General Gentner Drummond and Secretary of Education Ryan Walters.
Will an open primaries ballot initiative persevere?
Organizers of State Question 835, an initiative petition that seeks to place all candidates for statewide office on the same primary election ballot, will be hard at work this year trying to reach the ballot in 2026.
The ballot initiative must pass several hurdles before organizers may begin collecting signatures. If enough signatures are collected, there’s an additional review and challenge period that can take months to complete.
For additional information on SQ835, check out our coverage from November.
Will lawmakers expand voting access?
After a record number of Oklahomans voted early in 2024, with many enduring long lines, two bills seek to extend the state’s early voting period.
Senate Bill 129 by Julia Kirt, D-Oklahoma City, would increase the state’s early voting period from four days to two weeks preceding a general election. Senate Bill 273 by Mary Boren, D-Norman, would open up early voting on Saturdays for three preceding a general election.
Passing such legislation wouldn’t be unprecedented. In 2021, Oklahoma was one of the few Republican-led states to expand voting access, adding the Wednesday before a general election as an early voting day.
Will Oklahoma’s recall process change?
Unsatisfied with how a statewide elected official is performing? Besides elections, the only recourse in Oklahoma is impeachment, a rare and complex process that hasn’t led to an ouster since the 1960s.
That could change this year. Sen. Bill Coleman, R-Ponca City, announced last month he intends to run a bill that would allow the Legislature to refer a recall petition to the ballot. The announcement comes after several lawmakers unsuccessfully called on Corporation Commissioner Todd Hiett to resign following allegations of public intoxication and sexual misconduct at an out-of-state energy conference.
“This legislation is not directed at any one individual, but I hope it serves as an important accountability measure to ensure all politicians, including state lawmakers, set aside their personal interests and focus on serving the public,” Coleman said in a statement.
The deadline for lawmakers to file bills and joint resolutions is Thursday, Jan. 23 at 4:00 p.m.
Have thoughts, questions or story ideas? Let me know at Kross@Oklahomawatch.org.
— Keaton Ross
Recommended Reading
- Future of Griffin Memorial Hospital campus still unclear: While Norman city officials have expressed interest in acquiring the land, there remain disagreements over what to do with it. Mental health officials plan to use money from the sale of the Norman land to help pay for the new facility in Oklahoma City. [Oklahoma Voice]
- DOJ report threatens lawsuit for Oklahoma, OKC mental health system ‘deficiencies’
The report, which threatens litigation if improvements aren’t made, found local authorities discriminate against people with behavioral health disabilities by not offering more community-based treatment alternatives to institutionalization. [NonDoc] - State regents ask Oklahoma lawmakers for $1.5 billion: The proposed budget includes infrastructure improvements for regional state universities that have been “long been neglected physically.” [KGOU]
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