In the wake of nine special elections in 2017, Senator Ron Sharp wants the legislators who leave office mid-term to help pay for the election. He’s filed Senate Bill 1006 to place campaign funds from the exiting lawmaker in the State Election Board Revolving Fund up to the amount it cost the state to run a special election.
“When we run for office, we take an oath to uphold Oklahoma’s Constitution and serve our constituents faithfully,” said Sharp. “Taxpayers shouldn’t be burdened with a large special election bill when someone quits midterm to seek other opportunities or they’re removed from office because of legal or ethical issues. This bill will remove some of that taxpayer burden by using members’ remaining campaign funds to cover some of the costs of special elections.”
On average, a special election for a House seat would be approximately $20,000 if a primary and general elections are necessary. For the Senate the cost of a full special election cycle is about $40,000.
