By Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy CEO Joe Dorman
On November 5, the General Election will occur for Americans to decide on the candidates who are seeking office that they would want to represent them for the next term of office.
Ranging from President to municipal elections, each office is charged with certain responsibilities. Campaigns are being waged to win your votes. There will also be two state questions on the Oklahoma ballot this year.
I recommend going to https://www.kosu.org/politics/2024-10-10/here-are-the-state-questions-youll-see-on-oklahoma-ballots and read brief descriptions of the questions; you can also go to a site to read the full language of what is to be enacted if approved.
You also will decide several judicial retention votes. Ranging from lower courts to the Oklahoma Supreme Court, voters get to decide whether a judge or justice remains in office.
These court members were vetted by the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) and then appointed by the sitting governor from the qualified applicants from the list. The JNC was established to eliminate political corruption through appointments and has 15 commissioners who serve without compensation. Nine of the 15 commissioners are non-lawyers.
Governor Stitt will appoint six of the non-lawyer commissioners, one from each of the six congressional districts as they existed in 1967, to serve staggered six-year terms. Of the six non-lawyer commissioners named by the governor, no more than three can belong to any one political party.
The three remaining non-lawyer commissioners serve two-year terms as members-at-large. One is appointed by the Senate President Pro Tempore and one is appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives (both Republicans). The JNC itself selects the third non-lawyer commissioner. No more than two of the three members-at-large can be from the same political party.
I encourage you to learn more about those judges and justices up for retention, and this information is provided purely so you can be more informed before voting.
Of the three state Supreme Court justices on the ballot, one is the only military veteran on the Supreme Court, having served in the U.S. Navy.
Another was appointed by two Republican governors to lower courts, and this justice also created the Parent and Children Representation Task Force under the courts. This task force seeks to reduce the backlog of court cases with families who have cases involving their children (a major issue which OICA assisted in helping pass legislation to assist families in their court battles to keep their children).
The third Justice, raised in rural Oklahoma, was instrumental in establishing the Sovereignty Symposium, a conference reviewing tribal law, which has helped Oklahoma navigate the complicated rulings by the U.S. Supreme Court.
In a recent decision, all nine justices, appointed by both Republicans and Democrats, agreed that a school district’s local school board, not a state agency nor the Oklahoma State Board of Education, has the power to decide which books to include in school libraries. This local control given to local boards and parents is a perfect example of thoughtful decision making and finding the correct path.
In another decision, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that a scholarship program for special needs students was constitutional and specifically noted this program does not directly benefit private schools or churches, but individual students. This thoughtful deliberation allowed parents to access programs which would benefit their children due to the needs faced, not if the school is public or private, which also includes religious private schools.
So, please do your research when it comes to these votes and do not rely on the millions spent on inflammatory commercials. We need good people to serve, not those who the most money can buy.
