In an unusual move, Gov. Kevin Stitt wrote a letter leaning on a state ethics board ahead of a key vote to take action on the future of Oklahoma’s campaign finance system after it had been offline for months.
Stitt voiced his concern in a letter dated Thursday that the Oklahoma Ethics Commission should not be taking on additional responsibilities while not performing its “basic transparency function,” according to a letter obtained by Oklahoma Voice on Monday.
“Oklahomans deserve full transparency in our elections, yet the online Guardian system, the state’s critical tool for tracking campaign finance reports, has been down for months, plunging our state into unnecessary darkness since June,” he said in a letter. “This outage means everyday citizens cannot see campaign donations flowing to PACs, candidates, and other accounts.”
Friday’s meeting agenda included public hearings for several rule changes, and Stitt wrote it was “inappropriate” for the Commission to take on new authority. It is common for state agencies to propose rule changes every year for the Legislature to consider during session.
The day after Stitt’s letter, the Ethics Commission voted to terminate a contract with RFD and Associates, the vendor that was supposed to launch a new Guardian system. They voted to reinstate the original Guardian system operated by the previous vendor, Civix. The Commission entered a $217,000 contract with Carahsoft, a partner of Civix, that lasts three years.
The original Guardian system was online within hours of Friday’s vote.
RFD and Associates’ chief operating officer, who attended Friday’s meeting, did not immediately respond Monday to an email requesting comment.
The old Guardian system was initially taken offline in September and was set to launch in October, but officials previously said there were “unforeseen” delays in the data conversion process. Delays in the launch left candidates, lobbyists and political action committees unable to submit some reports and documentation amid the approaching 2026 election cycle.
The board also authorized the Oklahoma Attorney General to pursue legal action against RFD and Associates and potentially recover damages.
Lee Anne Bruce Boone, executive director of the Ethics Commission, and Justin Meek, chair of the Commission, responded with their own letter after Friday’s meeting and said the Commission did not delay in acting to address issues with the launch of Guardian.
The proposed rule changes are part of the Commission’s statutory requirements and additional agenda items have not “delayed or detracted” from taking the steps to restore full public access to campaign finance information, the letter reads.
“We have witnessed the Commission’s focus and expansive efforts to obtain a solution,” the letter reads. “As such, it is important to clarify that the Commission has not been weighing whether to act. For months, the Commission has been exploring solutions to restore continuity. The Commission wanted to ensure accuracy, reliability, and protection for both filers and the public before arriving at a hasty solution.”
The Commission proactively requested assistance from the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services as problems continued, according to the agency’s response letter.
Following the re-launch of the original Guardian system, the Ethics Commission sent an email out announcing that the system had been restored and announced new reporting deadlines for candidates, political action committees and lobbyists.
“Some filers entered information into the Guardian 2.0 system during the transition period,” the email read. “Because Guardian 2.0 will not be used for filing, information entered in that system will not carry over to the legacy Guardian platform and will need to be re-entered. We recognize that this may create additional work for some filers, and we appreciate your patience. This step is necessary to ensure that all filings are submitted in a single, stable system and reflected accurately and consistently in the official public record.”
Bruce Boone said many filers don’t have a lot of information to transfer to the original Guardian system.
“Unfortunately, given the nature of the termination – there will not be a quick and easy opportunity to get any data from Guardian 2.0,” she said. “Our team took a great deal of time, knowing this was a possibility, downloading as much information as possible from Guardian 2.0 so that we could assist as needed.”
