Joni LeViness, OK Green and secretary of Oklahomans for Ballot Access Reform (OBAR) speaks at a press conference announcing the group’s petition campaign to bring the question to Oklahoma voters next year.

OKLAHOMA CITY - Oklahomans for Ballot Access Reform (OBAR) filed today to circulate an initiative petition to put a question on the 2008 ballot. The initiative seeks to reform Oklahoma’s ballot access laws, considered the most restrictive in the country.

“It is time to hear what Oklahoma voters think about our state’s biased electoral system,” said OBAR Chairman Matthew R. Jones. “With half of our state legislative races unopposed last November, we believe Oklahomans will support more voter choice.”

OBAR will collect approximately 90,000 signatures over the next 90 days, and plans to integrate petitioning with an awareness campaign, including T-shirts for petition circulators and information cards for signatories.

“Although our effort is receiving nationwide attention, our petitioning will rely heavily on our members volunteering. This is a real grassroots effort,” said Jones.

Jimmy Cook, OBAR Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the Libertarian Party of Oklahoma, believes that the citizens’ movement will be well-received. “I’m surprised that this hasn’t been tried before, considering the positive things I’ve heard from people about the proposal,” he said. “Oklahomans are tired of having politicians dictate who they can and can not vote for. This petition would give voters the ability to choose.”

To form a new political party, Oklahoma law currently requires signatures equal to five percent of the last presidential or gubernatorial vote, which meant over 73,000 signatures for 2006. This number was 10 times the per capita requirement of many neighboring states, including Texas, Missouri, and New Mexico.

The initiative would return the number of signatures for recognition of political party back to 5000, the number required in Oklahoma from 1924 until 1974. This would make Oklahoma the 30th state to require 5000 or fewer signatures for a new political party or independent presidential candidate. The initiative would also make the requirements more reasonable for a party to demonstrate support and stay on the ballot.

“To hold elected officials accountable, we need a process that engages Oklahoma citizens,” said Clark Duffe, Chairman of Oklahoma Coalition of Independents (OKIES). “Ballot access reform is part of OKIES’ larger goal of having more competitive races.”

“Oklahoma was the only state where voters were limited to just two choices for president in 2004,” said Jones. “Even though the winner-take-all system tends toward two parties, we believe Oklahomans voters deserve more choices.”

Support for ballot access reform has come from varied, and even unexpected sources recently. The Oklahoman has published editorials endorsing the idea. The 2007 Oklahoma Republican Party platform states: “We support less restrictive ballot access for all political parties and candidates.”

Similar ballot access questions have passed in Florida and Massachusetts.

OBAR is a coalition of the Libertarian, Green, and Constitution Parties and the Oklahoma Coalition of Independents, unified with the simple goal of making laws fair for new political parties. Visit OBAR Web site

GPOK State Secretary and Oklahoma County Green James Branum spoke on behalf of the local party in Oklahoma City on Saturday, August 11, at a rally to “Save the Rails”. Green Party members helped organize the event.

Citizens, activists, teachers and legislators gathered to demand that state officials stop the New Crosstown boondoggle and develop clean safe and economical public transport for Central Oklahoma.

Also speaking at the event were State Representative Wallace Collins, County Commission candidate Fannie Bates and longtime rails activist Tom Elmore.

Organizers plan to have an event each month to keep the rails issue alive. To get on the email list for news and updates from the campaign, send an email to railsok@netroutes.net.

Support for local mass transit initiatives key to Party’s support

The Oklahoma County Green Party decided at its July 17 meeting to endorse Fannie Bates for county commissioner in the special election on August 14.

The election is being held to fill the seat vacated by Jim Roth upon his appointment by Gov. Henry to the state Corporation Commission. Five candidates are vying for the spot, and the one who receives a plurality of votes in the election will serve out Roth’s term.

Noting her long history of grassroots activism around issues of civil rights, social justice and environmental sustainability, Party members were unusually enthusiastic about the endorsement.

“We’re proud to endorse Fannie Bates,” said James M. Branum, OCGP spokesperson. “We are looking forward to seeing a grassroots activist get elected to office and then continue to fight for the people.”

“In particular, we hope that she can bring attention to the pending needless destruction of the Union Station Railyards.”

Ms. Bates has made preserving and utilizing Union Station and associated rail infrastructure the central issue in her platform. She believes, like a majority of metropolitan area citizens in a 2005 MAPS 3 poll, that mass transit should be a priority in the long-term planning of the area, and that existing resources should not be destroyed.

In order to bring attention to this timely issue, Oklahoma County Green Party members are working with other activists and groups to organize a “Save the Rails!” rally at 10 AM on Saturday, August 11 at Union Station, 300 SW 7th, Oklahoma City.

The Green Party of Oklahoma consists of four party locals. In addition to the Oklahoma County party, there are established parties in Tulsa (Green Country Greens) and Cleveland County, as well as the Rural Greens of Oklahoma, which includes the rest of the state.

The Green Party does not have ballot access in Oklahoma and the state Green Party and locals have endorsed progressive Democrats, as well as independent candidates, in the past.

For more information about the Oklahoma County Greens, see www.okgreens.org/locals/ocgp or call (405) 445-5408.

MORE INFORMATION:

Oklahoma County Districts map

Fannie Bates campaign web site

Oklahoma City Railways

OKC’s MAPS3 survey shows strong support for mass transit by Brian Brus, Journal Record

A System in Transit by Bryan Dean, Daily Oklahoman (as published by MassTransitMag.org)

GPOK members Jean McMahon and Huti Reynolds have been in contact with the Eco Action Committee of the Green Party since they heard from the Oklahoma Sustainability Network last January that a 950-megawatt coal-fired power plant was in the works to be built at Red Rock, Oklahoma.

They got support and resources from a great group called the National Energy Justice Network, the only national group dedicated to no more coal plants.

July 1, they heard from James Branum, GPOK state Secretary, and Fannie Bates, an Oklahoma City activist:

What is arguably the most important environmental decision made by/for the current generation of Oklahomans is about to happen and I am, as usual, amazed/chagrined that it is going virtually unnoticed. First the immediate facts which OG&E has made public:

On Monday, July 2 and Tuesday July 3, Oklahoma Gas & Electric will be before the Oklahoma Corporation Commission seeking pre-approval to build a new coal-fired power plant at the existing Sooner Power Plant near Red Rock, Oklahoma. The hearings begin at 8:30 a.m. and will be held in Courtroom 301 on the third floor of the Jim Thorpe Building at 2101 N. Lincoln in OKC. The proceedings will be adjourned for the July 4th holiday and will reconvene on Monday, July 9. All interested parties may appear at the hearings to make public comments.

It proposes to build what it “contends” (OG&E’s language)is a “state-of-the- art” 950 megawatt coal-fired power plant in collaboration with PSO (Public Service Company of Okla.) and the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority (OMPA). These three entities will share costs and ownership of the plant (OG&E 42%, PSO 50%, and OMPA 8%), which is estimated to cost approximately $1.8 billion to build. OG&E will build the plant and operate it when it is complete.

According to OG&E, rate changes to recover the cost will be phased in from 2007 to 2012-average cost per month increase for OG&E customers is estimated to be “a cumulative total” of $4.66 per month.

OG&E lists the following contact information regarding the application: OG&E at 1-800-272-9741. The Commission’s web site is www.occeweb. com or you can send written comments addressed to:
OG&E Red Rock Approval
c/o Office of General Counsel
Oklahoma Corporation Commission
P.O. Box 52000
Oklahoma City, OK 73152-2000

The Chairman of the Corporation Commission is Jeff Cloud. Bob Anthony and Jim Roth are the other two commissioners. Their address is as above.

So Huti and Jean rushed down to Oklahoma City on July 2. The OG&E lawyer noticed their Green Party T-shirts and spoke with them, as did the judge, “for some time,” Jean reports.

“I think the main point is, however she (the judge) decides, it will be contested. She apologized that public comments had been postponed for that day.”

Jean and Huti returned the following Monday for the public portion of the hearing — Jean in her famous polar bear suit that got some media attention. “We made our public statements. I believe it was useful for the Green Party to get info out via the media that environmental groups in Oklahoma do oppose coal-fired plants Our fellow citizens may think everyone loves coal by listening to the corporate press.”

Here is statement from the Green Party:

The U.S. is blessed with tremendous renewable energy potential, enough to meet the entire electric demand of the country. We call for a Manhattan Project-level of commitment to developing clean renewable energy technologies—technologies that do not create pollution in the course of generating electricity. These can include wind, solar, ocean power, geothermal, and small-scale hydro. Since even clean renewable energy can have negative environmental impacts, care must be taken to minimize such impacts. Clean renewable energy does not include nuclear power, any sort of combustion or process in which by-products are ultimately combusted, or hydroelectric dams that block entire rivers.

The period for public input closes July 23. It is unknown when the decision will be made.

This Salon article describes how reproductive rights advocates and medical workers in Oklahoma are working together to keep an unjust anti-abortion bill — S.B. 714 — from becoming law.

Oklahoma activists block antiabortion legislation
Pamela Merritt
How can choice advocates ensure more outcomes like this one?

The Green Party of Oklahoma supports a woman’s right to make her own medical decisions, and opposes efforts to make poor and low-income women face even greater obstacles than they already do in making those decisions.