Oklahoma City Council Calls November 3 Election For Amendments To City Charter

Press release from the City of Oklahoma City:

August 18, 2020

The Oklahoma City Council called a special election on Nov. 3 for proposed City Charter amendments that are primarily intended to modernize wording, address inconsistencies and resolve discrepancies with state law.

The proposed changes were introduced Aug. 4, and the final hearing was Tuesday. The election will be the same day as the Nov. 3 nationwide general election, but on a separate ballot available to all Oklahoma City voters at their usual polling place.

Mayor David Holt appointed a Charter Review Committee that met from February through June, which formally recommended nine proposed amendments after considering a wide range of issues. The committee members were:

• Ward 8 Councilman Mark K. Stonecipher (co-chair)
• Sharon Voorhees (co-chair)
• Leslie Batchelor
• Miriam Campos
• Ward 2 Councilperson James Cooper
• Stan Evans
• Rachel Pappy

Find more details at okc.gov/Nov3, including the full text of the proposed changes.

Proposed amendments

There are nine proposed Charter amendments, and voters will consider them as separate propositions with a “yes” or “no” vote. Each requires a simple majority to pass. The Governor of Oklahoma must also review and sign voter-approved Charter amendments for them to formally become law.

Proposition 1

The first proposed Charter amendment would make minor changes regarding elections for Mayor and Council:

• The name of the February “primary” election would become the “general” election, and April’s “general” election would become the “runoff” election.
• Councilmembers and the Mayor would take office four weeks after the “runoff” (currently “general”) election, instead of one week.
• Requirements for election notices and candidacy declarations would be changed to comply with current state law, which already supersedes the Charter’s outdated language.

If approved, this proposition will amend Article II, Section 2, and Article X, Sections 1-3 of the Charter.

Proposition 2

This proposed amendment would affect qualifications to run for Mayor or a City Council seat:

• The description of the requirements will be reformatted to make it easier to read.
• The required time period for candidates to live in Oklahoma City before filing to run for office would shorten from 3 years to 1 year.
• Candidates would be required to be a registered voter in Oklahoma City for the year immediately preceding a formal declaration of candidacy.
• Candidates for Council seats would also be required to be registered to vote in the Ward in which they are running for at least one year before a formal declaration of candidacy.

If approved, this proposition will amend Article II, Section 6 of the Charter.

Proposition 3

This proposition would extend the time period from 15 days to 30 days to call a special election, or to appoint a temporary Mayor, if the office is vacant. It makes the time period consistent with the same requirement for vacant Council seats. Appointment of a temporary Mayor can only occur if the vacancy is in the last year of the term.

If approved, this proposition will amend Article II, Section 10 of the Charter.

Proposition 4

Proposition 4 would amend an outdated requirement for Council meetings to match the current practice of setting meeting schedules by ordinance. The Council currently meets every other Tuesday.

If approved, this proposition will amend Article II, Section 11 of the Charter.

Proposition 5

This proposed amendment would allow the Mayor or a Councilmember to provide information to the City Manager about a City employee’s job performance. The information would be required to be based on direct personal knowledge, or a signed, written statement from a resident.

The Charter prohibits the Mayor or Councilmembers from giving orders to City Manager subordinates, and from directing or requesting appointment or removal of a City employee. The narrow proposed change in Proposition 5 would explicitly provide a way for the Mayor and Councilmembers to provide positive or negative feedback without violating the Charter.

If approved, this proposition will amend Article IV, Section 4 of the Charter.

Proposition 6

This would clarify who is in the City’s Division of Public Affairs, which is under the direct control of the City Council.

It would include the City Manager, Municipal Counselor, City Auditor, Municipal Court judges, and all City boards, commissions and committees created by the Mayor and Council.

If approved, this proposition will amend Article IV, Section 6 of the Charter.

Proposition 7

This would change the term “Councilman” to “Councilmember” or “Councilor” where the Charter refers to Council representatives.

If approved, this proposition will enact a new Section 11 in Article IX of the Charter that directs the City Clerk to work with the Municipal Counselor to make the changes throughout the Charter.

Proposition 8

This proposal would amend the section of the Charter granting powers to the City government, and reformat it into five subsections for easier reading. It would also add the word “welfare” to the list of powers for enacting and enforcing ordinances “to protect health, safety, welfare, life or property.”

If approved, this proposition will amend Article I, Section 3 of the Charter.

Proposition 9

This proposed amendment would re-word a section heading and more clearly state its apparent, original intent to prevent improper transactions related to certain businesses, and City franchise agreements.

It would prevent City employees and officers from accepting things of value on terms unavailable to the general public from privately-owned transportation businesses and utilities. It would allow for franchises and contracts to be conditioned upon free service for City employees and officers while engaged in official duties.

If approved, this proposition will amend Article IV, Section 12 of the Charter.

Election and voting information

All Oklahoma City voters registered by Oct. 9 will be eligible to cast a ballot in the Nov. 3 special election. Voters registered at their current address are already eligible.

A sample ballot is not yet available, but the ballot language and other documents are posted at okc.gov/Nov3.

Visit okc.gov/citylimits to see an interactive map of Oklahoma City limits.

To check or update your registration status, use the Oklahoma State Election Board’s Online Voter Portal at ok.gov/elections/ovp. Find your polling place on your voter ID card or using the portal.

To register to vote, use the portal’s voter registration wizard to complete your application online, then print, sign and mail it to your local county election board. You can also download a voter registration application at ok.gov/elections, or get one at your county election board, post offices, tag agencies, libraries and other public locations.

Voters who have disabilities can find more information about voter assistance in Oklahoma at ok.gov/elections.

State law requires proof of identity to vote. Acceptable forms of ID are a voter ID card, driver’s license or another form of ID issued by the federal government, state government or federally recognized tribal government. Voters may also cast a provisional ballot by proving their identity with a signed, sworn affidavit, which is available at the polling station.

The deadline to request an absentee ballot to vote by mail in the special election is 5 p.m. Oct. 27. You can request an absentee ballot using the voter portal at ok.gov/elections/ovp, or download an absentee ballot request form at ok.gov/elections to print, sign and return to your county election board.

Overseas voters, including military members, can get more information about overseas absentee voting at ok.gov/elections.

Early voting for the special election is 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 29-30 and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 31 at your local county election board:

• Oklahoma County Election Board, 4201 N Lincoln Blvd., (405) 713-1515
• Cleveland County Election Board, 641 E Robinson Street (Suite 200) in Norman, (405) 366-0210
• Canadian County Election Board, 200 S Bickford Ave. in El Reno, (405) 422-2422
• Pottawatomie County Election Board, 14101 Acme Road in Shawnee, (405) 273-8376.

Regular voting is 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 3 at your usual polling location.

This press release was produced by the City of Oklahoma City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.