A state lawmaker is proposing a change to Oklahoma’s initiative petition process.
Republican Rep. John Pfeiffer wants the signatures needed to get state questions on the ballot to be a percentage of voters from each congressional district rather than a percentage of the total number of votes in the last gubernatorial election.
Pfeiffer said he’s trying to protect the voice of the state’s rural minority.
"Right now in the state of Oklahoma, you can collect all the signatures and all the votes to change the state constitution inside two counties, which puts the other 75 counties at a distinct disadvantage," Pfeiffer said.
By tying signature requirements to the number of registered voters rather than a number of votes cast, Pfeiffer's proposal would raise the bar for getting initiative petitions to the ballot.
Democratic Rep. Andy Fugate told his fellow lawmakers last week he’s against Pfeiffer's proposal.
"What we’re doing here, effectively, is taking away power from the people, and members, that’s a bad thing for us to do. We should not be in the position of taking away power from the people of the state of Oklahoma," Fugate said.
Pfeiffer’s proposal, House Joint Resolution 1027, would go to a vote of the people if lawmakers pass it. It passed out of committee last week.
HJR1027 would not change the percentages for each type of petition. So, it would be 8% of voters in each congressional district for initiatives, 15% for constitutional amendments and 5% for referenda.
