Oklahoma 2022 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB1754 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.
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5353 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
5454
5555 2nd Session of the 58th Legislature (2022)
5656
5757 SENATE BILL 1754 By: Paxton
5858
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6363 AS INTRODUCED
6464
6565 An Act relating to elections; amending 26 O.S. 20 21,
6666 Sections 1-102, 1-104, 1-105, 5-110, 6-103, 6-106, 6-
6767 109, 6-111, 6-116, and 8-101, which relate to
6868 election procedures; changing date of Primary
6969 Election; modifying circumstances under which Primary
7070 Election held; providing for placement of names of
7171 all qualifying candidates on Primary El ection ballot;
7272 specifying names to be placed on General Election
7373 ballot; allowing any registered voter to vote in
7474 Primary Election; deleting references to Runoff
7575 Primary Election; modifying procedure for substitute
7676 candidate; changing dates of candidate fi ling period;
7777 specifying information to be printed on ballot;
7878 providing for certification of candidates ; repealing
7979 26 O.S. 2021, Sections 1-103, 5-116, 6-108 and 6-110,
8080 which relate to Runoff Primary Elections; and
8181 providing an effective date .
8282
8383
8484
8585 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA :
8686 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 2 6 O.S. 2021, Section 1-102, is
8787 amended to read as follows:
8888 Section 1-102. A Primary Election shall be held on the last
8989 fourth Tuesday in June August of each even-numbered year if more
9090 than two candidates have filed for and qualified to have their names
9191 printed on the ballot for any office , at which time each political
9292 party recognized by the laws of Oklahoma shall nominate its
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144144 candidates for the offices to be filled at the next succeeding
145145 General Election, unless otherwise provided by law. No candidate 's
146146 name shall be printed upon the General Election ballot unless such
147147 candidate shall have been nominated as herein provided, unless
148148 otherwise provided by law ; provided further that this provision
149149 shall not exclude the right of a nonpartisan candidate to have his
150150 or her name printed upon the General Election ballots the names of
151151 all such candidates shall be put before the voters on a single
152152 ballot, regardless o f party affiliation or status as a nonpartisan
153153 candidate. If no candidate receives more than fifty p ercent (50%)
154154 of the votes cast, t he names of the two candidates receiving the
155155 highest number of votes shall be placed on the General Election
156156 ballot. No county, municipality or school district shall sched ule
157157 an election on any date during the twenty (20) days immediately
158158 preceding the date of any such primary election.
159159 SECTION 2. AMENDATORY 26 O.S. 20 21, Section 1-104, is
160160 amended to read as follows:
161161 Section 1-104. A. No Any registered voter shall be permitted
162162 to vote in any Primary Election or Runoff Primary Election of any
163163 political party except the political party of which his registration
164164 form shows him to be a member, except a s otherwise provided by this
165165 section.
166166 B. 1. A recognized political party may permit registered
167167 voters designated as Independents pursuant to the provisions of
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219219 Section 4-112 of this title to vote in a Primary Election or Runoff
220220 Primary Election of the par ty.
221221 2. The state chairman of the party shall, bet ween November 1
222222 and 30 of every odd-numbered year, notify the Secretary of the State
223223 Election Board as to whether or not the party intends to permit
224224 registered voters designated as Independents to vote in a Primary
225225 Election or Runoff Primary Election of th e party. If the state
226226 chairman notifies the Secret ary of the State Election Board of the
227227 party's intention to so permit, registered voters designated as
228228 Independents shall be permitted to vote in any Prima ry Election or
229229 Runoff Primary Election of the part y held in the following two (2)
230230 calendar years. If the state chairman of one party notifies the
231231 Secretary of the State Election Board of the party 's intent to so
232232 permit, the notification period specified i n this paragraph shall be
233233 extended to December 15 for the state chairman of any other party to
234234 so notify or to change prior notification. A registered voter
235235 designated as Independent shall not be permitted to vote in a
236236 Primary Election or Runoff Primary E lection of more than one party.
237237 3. Failure to so notify the Secretary of the State Election
238238 Board shall serve to prohibit registered voters designated as
239239 Independents from voting in a Primary Election or Runoff Primary
240240 Election of the party.
241241 4. A group of persons seeking to form a recognized political
242242 party pursuant to the provisions of Section 1 -108 of this title
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294294 shall, upon filing of the petitions seeking recognition of the
295295 political party with the Secretary of the State Election Board,
296296 notify the Secretary of the State Election Board as to whether or
297297 not the party intends to permit registered voters d esignated as
298298 Independents to vote in a Primary Election or Runoff Primary
299299 Election of the party. If the party is recognized and the group of
300300 persons seeking recognition of the party notifies the Secretary of
301301 the State Election Board of such intention, reg istered voters
302302 designated as Independents shall be permitted to vote in any Primary
303303 Election or Runoff Primary Election of the party held prior to
304304 January 1 of the following even -numbered year.
305305 SECTION 3. AMENDATORY 26 O.S. 2021, Section 1 -105, is
306306 amended to read as follows:
307307 Section 1-105. A. In the event of the death of a political
308308 party's nominee for office prior to the date of the General
309309 Election, or in the event that a decea sed person receives a
310310 political party's nomination for office, a substitute candidate will
311311 be permitted to have his or her name placed on the General Election
312312 ballot as follows:
313313 1. If the nominee was a can didate for county office, the
314314 political party's ce ntral committee of the county shall notify the
315315 secretary of the county election board of the name of an alternative
316316 candidate to be placed on the General Election ba llot. Such notice
317317 shall be submitted in writing, within fifteen (15) days after the
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369369 death has occurred, but not later than five o'clock p.m. on the
370370 Friday following the date of the Runoff Primary Election, and shall
371371 be signed by at least two duly authoriz ed members of the political
372372 party's county central committee. If a political party's centr al
373373 committee fails to submit the notice in the manner described, then a
374374 nominee for that party shall not appear on the ballot for that
375375 office;
376376 2. If the nominee was a candidate who filed a Declaration of
377377 Candidacy with the State Election Board, the state central committee
378378 of the party affected shall notify the Secretary of the State
379379 Election Board of the name of an alternative candidate to be placed
380380 on the General Election ballot. Such notice shall be subm itted in
381381 writing, within fifteen (15) days after t he death has occurred, but
382382 not later than five o'clock p.m. on the Friday following the date of
383383 the Runoff Primary Election, and shall be signed by at least two
384384 duly authorized members of the political part y's state central
385385 committee. If a political party 's central committee fails to submit
386386 the notice in the manner described, then a nominee for that party
387387 shall not appear on the ballot for that office; and
388388 3. Provided, if the death of a political party's nominee for
389389 an office described in paragraph 1 or 2 of this subsection should
390390 occur after the Friday following the date of the Runoff Primary
391391 Election, then the election shall proceed with the deceased
392392 candidate's name printed on the ballot the candidate receiving the
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444444 next highest number of votes at the P rimary Election shall be
445445 designated as a substitute candidate and will be permitted to have
446446 his or her name placed on the General Election ballot as provided in
447447 this section if the death occurs on or after September 1 immediately
448448 preceding the General Elec tion.
449449 B. In the event of the death of an independent candidate for an
450450 office described in paragraph 1 or 2 of subsection A of this
451451 section, the following procedure shall apply:
452452 1. If the death occurs on o r prior to the Friday following the
453453 date of the Runoff Primary Election, the candidate's name shall not
454454 be printed on the ballot; and
455455 2. If the death occurs after the Friday following the date of
456456 the Runoff Primary Election, the candidate's name shall be printed
457457 on the ballot.
458458 C. In the event a deceased candidate is certified by the
459459 appropriate Election Board as having won an election, a vacancy in
460460 the office shall occur upon the date the candidate would have take n
461461 office, and the vacancy shall be filled in the manner prescribed by
462462 law.
463463 D. C. In the event of the death of a candidate who was
464464 unopposed for election, a Special Election shall be called by the
465465 Governor. The Special Election shall be conducted accordi ng to the
466466 laws governing such elections, Se ction 12-101 et seq. of this title.
467467
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518518 SECTION 4. AMENDATORY 26 O.S. 20 21, Section 5-110, is
519519 amended to read as follows:
520520 Section 5-110. Declarations of Candidacy provided herein must
521521 be filed with the secretary of the appropriate el ection board no
522522 earlier than 8:00 a.m. on the second Wednesday of April first Monday
523523 of June of any even-numbered year and no later than 5:00 p.m. on the
524524 next succeeding Friday Wednesday. Such Declarations of Candidacy
525525 may be transmitted by United States mail, but in no event shall the
526526 secretary of any election board accept such Declarations after the
527527 time prescribed by law.
528528 SECTION 5. AMENDATORY 26 O.S. 20 21, Section 6-103, is
529529 amended to read as follows:
530530 Section 6-103. The State Election Board shall cause ballots to
531531 be printed for statewide Primary , Runoff Primary, and General
532532 Elections and special elections at such time as to insure delivery
533533 of said ballots to the several county election boards for
534534 distribution to the several pr ecinct election boards prior to
535535 election day. Said board The Board shall cause ballots to be
536536 printed for the following offices: Electors for President and Vice
537537 President;, United States Senators ;, United States Representatives ;,
538538 state officers;, Justices of the Supreme Court ;, Judges of the Court
539539 of Criminal Appeals;, Judges of the Court of Appeals ;, district
540540 judges and associate district judges ;, State Senators;, State
541541 Representatives;, district attorneys;, county officers, and such
542542
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593593 other officers as req uired by law, in the order they appear in the
594594 statutes, and shall cause ballots to be printed for state qu estions.
595595 SECTION 6. AMENDATORY 26 O.S. 20 21, Section 6-106, is
596596 amended to read as follows:
597597 Section 6-106. The official ballot for the General Election
598598 shall be printed so th at the nominees of the various political
599599 parties and nonpartisan candidates will appear in order as
600600 determined according to this section. For partisan offices, if a
601601 candidate has indicated a party affiliat ion on the declaration of
602602 candidacy, that affiliat ion will be shown after the name of the
603603 candidate on the Primary and General Election ballots. For each
604604 section of the ballot for which there are partisan candidates, the
605605 candidates of the recognized parti es shall be printed first in lot
606606 order followed by candidates of unrecognized parties in lot order
607607 followed by independent candidates in lot order. Candidates of
608608 recognized and unrecognized parties shall be printed in the lot
609609 order of their respective par ty. Each political party shall have
610610 the right to select an emblem to be used in designating its
611611 candidates on the ballot; provided, however, that no party shall be
612612 allowed to use the coat of arms or seal of Oklahoma or of the United
613613 States, or the respect ive flags thereof. Until changed by
614614 resolution of a political party, in state convention, the emblem of
615615 the Democratic party shall be a rooster and that of the Republican
616616 party an eagle. Change in a party emblem shall be authorized by the
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668668 Secretary of the State Election Board only after receipt of writt en
669669 notice of the change by the Secretary from the state central
670670 committee of a party. At the top of each ballot on which there are
671671 partisan candidates shall appear the name of each recognized party
672672 with the emblem of the party in lot order as prescribed b y the
673673 Secretary of the State Election Board. The name o f the office
674674 entitled to the first place, preceded by the word "for", shall
675675 appear in bold type, as "For Governor". Immediately after same
676676 shall be the names of the nominees for such office printed w ith the
677677 name of the nominee's party followed by candidat es who file as
678678 Independents for such office printed with the word "Independent".
679679 The list shall be continued, naming the officers in the order in
680680 which they are set out by the Constitution and statut es, until all
681681 the nominees are given space. The section s of the ballot shall be
682682 set off with well-defined lines or by other means as prescribed by
683683 the Secretary of the State Election Board.
684684 SECTION 7. AMENDATORY 26 O.S. 20 21, Section 6-109, is
685685 amended to read as follows:
686686 Section 6-109. On all Primary and Runoff Primary Election
687687 ballots, except absentee ballots, the names of the candidates for
688688 each office shall be rotated in such a manner that all candidates'
689689 names appear in each position on the ballots an equal number of
690690 times, to the extent practicable. Provided, however, the names of
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742742 candidates for judicial, school, city and town offices shall be
743743 placed on the ballot according t o lot.
744744 SECTION 8. AMENDATORY 26 O.S. 2021, Section 6-111, is
745745 amended to read as follows:
746746 Section 6-111. All ballots for Primary , Runoff Primary and
747747 General Elections shall be printed with a stub so perforated that
748748 the ballot may be easily detached from the stub. Upon the stub
749749 shall be printed the number of the stub and the words, "Primary
750750 Election Ballot", "Runoff Primary Election Ballot " or "General
751751 Election Ballot", as the case may be ; in the event of Primary and
752752 Runoff Primary Elections, the name of the political party shall be
753753 printed above the words .
754754 SECTION 9. AMENDATORY 26 O.S. 20 21, Section 6-116, is
755755 amended to read as follows:
756756 Section 6-116. A. As soon as practicable, the State Election
757757 Board or each county election board, when ballots are pri nted by a
758758 county election board, shall cause to be printed a sufficient number
759759 of absentee ballots, prepared as nearly as practicable in t he same
760760 manner as provided for other ballots for the Primary , Runoff Primary
761761 and General Elections, in time for the ba llots to be issued during
762762 the time prescribed by law.
763763 B. The Secretary of the State Election Board may authorize the
764764 use of regular ballo ts as absentee ballots in any county for any
765765 election. In the event that regular ballots are authorized for use
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817817 as absentee ballots at any election, the first order of rotation of
818818 candidate names for all partisan offices in Primary Elections shall
819819 be determined as outlined in Section 6 -107 of this title and the
820820 candidate names shall be rotated to the extent practicable o n all
821821 ballots printed for the election. The first order of rotation of
822822 candidate names for all partisan offices in the Runoff Primary
823823 Election shall be determined as outlined in Section 6 -108 of this
824824 title and the candidate names shall be rotated to the e xtent
825825 practicable on all ballots printed for the election. Regular
826826 ballots used as absentee ballots shall not be required to be
827827 designated on their face as absentee ballots.
828828 SECTION 10. AMENDATORY 26 O.S. 20 21, Section 8-101, is
829829 amended to read as follows:
830830 Section 8-101. The county election board shall certify a list
831831 of nominees of each political party the names of the two candidates
832832 receiving the highest number of votes for county offices following
833833 the Primary and Runoff Primary Elections Election. The State
834834 Election Board shall certify a list of nominees of each political
835835 party the names of the two candidates rec eiving the highest number
836836 of votes for the offices for which the Boa rd accepts filings of
837837 Declarations of Candidacy fo llowing the Primary and Runoff Primary
838838 Elections Election. The provisions of this section shall not be
839839 applicable if one candidate receiv es more than fifty percent (50%)
840840 of the votes cast in the Primary El ection.
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891891
892892 SECTION 11. REPEALER 26 O.S. 2021, Sections 1-103, 5-
893893 116, 6-108, and 6-110 are hereby repealed.
894894 SECTION 12. This act shall become effective N ovember 1, 2022.
895895
896896 58-2-3062 TEK 1/20/2022 6:34:55 PM