{"id":753074,"date":"2025-11-19T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/?p=753074"},"modified":"2025-11-19T14:06:36","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T20:06:36","slug":"oklahoma-supreme-court-hears-arguments-on-initiative-petition-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/11\/19\/oklahoma-supreme-court-hears-arguments-on-initiative-petition-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Oklahoma Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Initiative Petition Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-custom-everlit-iframe-embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Everlit Audio Player\" src=\"https:\/\/everlit.audio\/embeds\/artl_2QdBkimdEna?client=wp&amp;client_version=2.6.0\" width=\"100%\" height=\"80px\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday heard oral arguments over the constitutionality of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oklegislature.gov\/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=sb1027&amp;Session=2600\">Senate Bill 1027<\/a>, the sweeping legislation enacted in May that imposes several requirements on initiative petition organizers.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The high court\u2019s ruling will shape the future of voter-led ballot initiative campaigns in Oklahoma, which have brought <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Oklahoma_Reclassification_of_Some_Drug_and_Property_Crimes_as_Misdemeanors,_State_Question_780_(2016)\">criminal justice reform<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Oklahoma_State_Question_788,_Medical_Marijuana_Legalization_Initiative_(June_2018)\">legalized medical marijuana<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/google.com\/search?q=medicaid+expansion+ballotpedia+sq802&amp;rlz=1C5OZZY_enUS1122US1122&amp;oq=medicaid+expansion+ballotpedia+sq802&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIHCAEQIRigATIHCAIQIRigATIHCAMQIRigATIHCAQQIRigATIHCAUQIRigAdIBCDU1NjNqMGo0qAIAsAIA&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8\">Medicaid expansion<\/a> to the state over the past decade. Issues including <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Oklahoma_State_Question_820,_Marijuana_Legalization_Initiative_(March_2023)\">recreational marijuana<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/google.com\/search?q=state+question+805&amp;rlz=1C5OZZY_enUS1122US1122&amp;oq=state+question+805+&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqCggAEEUYFhgeGDsyCggAEEUYFhgeGDsyCAgBEAAYFhgeMgcIAhAAGO8FMgcIAxAAGO8FMgcIBBAAGO8FMgcIBRAAGO8FMgYIBhBFGDzSAQgxNzY1ajBqNKgCALACAA&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8\">sentencing reform<\/a> qualified for the ballot but were rejected by voters.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For years, Republican legislative leaders argued that it was too easy for initiative petitioners to flood densely populated areas in Oklahoma City and Tulsa and get their question on the ballot.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That sentiment culminated in SB1027, which caps signature collection by county based on the number of votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election. The measure also requires signature gatherers to be registered Oklahoma voters and gives the Secretary of State power to modify a petition\u2019s gist, among more than a dozen <a href=\"https:\/\/oksenate.gov\/press-releases\/bill-putting-guardrails-initiative-petition-process-advances-governor\">other changes<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Randall Yates, an attorney representing four petitioners challenging the law, argued that the Legislature didn\u2019t have a compelling state interest in enacting SB1027 and therefore exceeded its authority. He said the restrictions imposed in SB1027 effectively nullify a process that the authors of the state constitution intended as a check on the power of elected officials.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIf the Legislature can regulate that check away, it becomes meaningless,\u201d Yates said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles is-style-borders wpnbha show-image image-alignright ts-4 is-1 is-landscape is-style-borders\" style=\"\">\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"753074\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>the latest<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"754196\" class=\"tag-attorney-general tag-cdc tag-covid-19 tag-george-monks tag-measles tag-oklahoma-news tag-oklahoma-state-department-of-health tag-oklahoma-state-medical-association tag-whooping-cough category-health category-publichealth type-post post-has-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2026\/01\/05\/oklahoma-health-department-refuses-to-share-county-level-measles-data\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Oklahoma Health Department Refuses to Share County-Level Measles Data\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Monks_15-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2026\/01\/05\/oklahoma-health-department-refuses-to-share-county-level-measles-data\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Oklahoma Health Department Refuses to Share County-Level Measles Data<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/author\/paulmonies\/\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" alt=\"Avatar photo\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/cropped-Paul-Monies.jpg?resize=48%2C48&amp;ssl=1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/cropped-Paul-Monies-96x96.jpg 2x\" class=\"avatar avatar-48 photo\" height=\"48\" width=\"48\"><\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"byline\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"author-prefix\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/author\/paulmonies\/\">Paul Monies<\/a><\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><!-- .author-name -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-01-05T06:01:00-06:00\">January 5, 2026<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2026-01-05T11:05:42-06:00\">January 5, 2026<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat could be more suitable or reasonable than a modest effort to ensure at least some Oklahomans from across the state get to participate in initiatives at the front end,\u201d he said. \u201cTo hold otherwise is to say that the numerous states with geographic restrictions are all just unreasonable.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Zach West, the director of special litigation for the attorney general\u2019s office, said the Legislature was simply acting on complaints that initiative petitioners weren\u2019t traveling to rural areas. He said petitioners could theoretically get an initiated state statute on the ballot by visiting 16 to 18 counties.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe title=\"Signature Collection Caps Under Senate Bill 1027\" aria-label=\"Grouped column chart\" id=\"datawrapper-chart-lh179\" src=\"https:\/\/datawrapper.dwcdn.net\/lh179\/1\/\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;\" height=\"535\" data-external=\"1\"><\/iframe><script type=\"text\/javascript\">window.addEventListener(\"message\",function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(\"iframe\");for(var t in a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[\"datawrapper-height\"][t]+\"px\";r.style.height=d}}});<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p>Justice Noma Gurich, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.readfrontier.org\/stories\/one-oklahoma-supreme-court-justice-is-ousted-after-dark-money-groups-dumped-millions-into-judicial-races\/\">narrowly survived<\/a> a retention election last year, indicated that lawmakers may have gone too far with SB1027.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Multiple justices hinted at the possibility of severability, which would allow the court to strike down specific parts of the bill deemed unconstitutional without eradicating the entire measure. The possibility of the lawsuit being remanded to district court was also discussed. Justice Douglas Combs indicated that the high court could stay implementation of the law if the matter drags on.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAt some point, the burdens pile up and it becomes an undue burden,\u201d Gurich said. \u201cThat\u2019s the concern I have. It\u2019s not that some of these provisions wouldn\u2019t survive a constitutional challenge. It\u2019s where the Legislature has gone beyond implementing, carrying out and preventing corruption.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Combs said the legislation could be interpreted as favoring certain signatures over others.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s problematic to me,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t know how the state could legitimately argue that you can sign it, you count, you don\u2019t. It\u2019s a problem.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In response, West said that SB1027 does not prohibit signature gatherers from building a buffer of additional signatures, and organizers under previous laws often strove to collect more signatures than statutorily required.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Results of similar lawsuits challenging initiative petition requirements in other states have been mixed.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2021, <a href=\"https:\/\/idahocapitalsun.com\/2021\/08\/23\/idaho-supreme-court-blocks-says-new-ballot-initiative-law-violates-state-constitution\/\">the Idaho Supreme Court blocked<\/a> the implementation of a bill that required 6% of voters in each of the state\u2019s 35 legislative districts to sign onto an initiative petition. In 2022, the <a href=\"https:\/\/news.ballotpedia.org\/2022\/01\/27\/michigan-supreme-court-overturns-distribution-and-paid-circulator-registration-requirements-for-initiative-petition-drives\/\">Michigan Supreme Court <\/a>blocked a provision of a 2018 law that capped signature collection at 15% per congressional district, but allowed a requirement for signature collectors to disclose if they\u2019re paid to remain.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just one initiative petition campaign, <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Oklahoma_State_Question_837,_Marijuana_Legalization_Initiative_(2026)\">State Question 837<\/a> to legalize recreational marijuana, has operated under SB1027\u2019s signature gathering requirements. Proponents of that proposed constitutional amendment withdrew their petition on Nov. 4, citing an inability to gather the required number of signatures.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Oklahoma Supreme Court granted a stay to <a href=\"http:\/\/google.com\/search?q=oklahoma+state+question+836&amp;rlz=1C5OZZY_enUS1122US1122&amp;oq=oklahoma+state+question+836&amp;gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqBwgAEAAYgAQyBwgAEAAYgAQyBwgBEAAYgAQyBwgCEAAYgAQyBwgDEAAYgAQyBwgEEAAYgAQyBwgFEAAYgAQyCAgGEAAYFhgeMgYIBxBFGDzSAQg0MjA5ajBqNKgCALACAA&amp;sourceid=chrome&amp;ie=UTF-8\">State Question 836<\/a>, an ongoing primary reform initiative petition campaign, because it launched prior to the legislation being enacted. Organizers have a Jan. 26 deadline to submit signatures to the secretary of state\u2019s office.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The high court will rule on SB1027 at a later date.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"771\" height=\"771\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=771%2C771&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-700099\" style=\"width:193px;height:193px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=771%2C771&amp;ssl=1 771w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=336%2C336&amp;ssl=1 336w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=140%2C140&amp;ssl=1 140w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=768%2C768&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=200%2C200&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=706%2C706&amp;ssl=1 706w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?resize=100%2C100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274.jpg?w=801&amp;ssl=1 801w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/StaffHeadshots2022_5274-771x771.jpg?w=370&amp;ssl=1 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\"><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><em>Keaton Ross covers democracy and criminal justice for Oklahoma Watch. Contact him at (405) 831-9753 or <a href=\"mailto:Kross@Oklahomawatch.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kross@Oklahomawatch.org<\/a>.\u00a0Follow him on Twitter at <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/_KeatonRoss\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">@_KeatonRoss<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:17px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-block-newspack-blocks-homepage-articles is-style-default wpnbha is-grid columns-3 colgap-1 show-image image-aligntop ts-3 is-3 is-landscape is-style-default\" style=\"\">\n\t\t<div data-posts data-current-post-id=\"753074\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"article-section-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>MORE FROM keaton ross <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"754183\" class=\"tag-attorney-general-gentner-drummond tag-corrections-2 tag-criminal-justice tag-darcy-jech tag-department-of-corrections tag-james-havens tag-kyle-counts tag-medical-parole tag-oklahoma-news tag-oklahoma-pardon-and-parole-board tag-senate-bill-320 tag-tom-bates category-corrections category-criminaljustice type-post post-has-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2026\/01\/02\/attorney-general-only-the-doc-director-can-refer-prisoners-for-medical-parole\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Prison-Visit-Keaton-23-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Attorney General: Only the DOC Director Can Refer Prisoners For Medical Parole\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Prison-Visit-Keaton-23-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Prison-Visit-Keaton-23-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Prison-Visit-Keaton-23-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Prison-Visit-Keaton-23-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Prison-Visit-Keaton-23-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Prison-Visit-Keaton-23-scaled.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Prison-Visit-Keaton-23-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2026\/01\/02\/attorney-general-only-the-doc-director-can-refer-prisoners-for-medical-parole\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Attorney General: Only the DOC Director Can Refer Prisoners For Medical Parole<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2026-01-02T06:01:00-06:00\">January 2, 2026<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2026-01-05T11:00:53-06:00\">January 5, 2026<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"754011\" class=\"tag-criminal-justice tag-department-of-corrections tag-jails tag-medical-parole tag-michael-olson tag-oklahoma-legislature tag-oklahoma-news tag-oklahoma-pardon-and-parole-board tag-oklahomans-for-criminal-justice-reform tag-prisons tag-state-question-780 tag-state-sen-dave-rader category-corrections category-criminaljustice type-post post-has-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/23\/oklahomas-prison-population-climbed-in-2025\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Oklahoma\u2019s Prison Population Climbed in 2025\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2024_1010_5D4B1944-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/23\/oklahomas-prison-population-climbed-in-2025\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Oklahoma\u2019s Prison Population Climbed in 2025<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-12-23T06:01:00-06:00\">December 23, 2025<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2025-12-26T09:48:59-06:00\">December 26, 2025<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\n\t<article data-post-id=\"753965\" class=\"tag-attorney-general-gentner-drummond tag-campaign-finance tag-elections tag-legislature tag-oklahoma-ethics-commission tag-oklahoma-news tag-transparency category-democracy category-democracy-democracy category-government category-publicmoney category-transparency type-post post-has-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"post-thumbnail\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/19\/oklahomas-campaign-finance-database-is-back-online\/\" rel=\"bookmark\" tabindex=\"-1\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-newspack-article-block-landscape-large size-newspack-article-block-landscape-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"Oklahoma\u2019s Campaign Finance Database is Back Online\" data-hero-candidate=\"1\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?resize=800%2C600&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?resize=600%2C450&amp;ssl=1 600w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?resize=200%2C150&amp;ssl=1 200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?zoom=2&amp;resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1 2400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/TED_8259-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C900&amp;ssl=1&amp;w=370 370w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 34.9rem) calc(100vw - 2rem), (max-width: 53rem) calc(8 * (100vw \/ 12)), (min-width: 53rem) calc(6 * (100vw \/ 12)), 100vw\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure><!-- .featured-image -->\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"entry-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/12\/19\/oklahomas-campaign-finance-database-is-back-online\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Oklahoma\u2019s Campaign Finance Database is Back Online<\/a><\/h3>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"entry-meta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<time class=\"entry-date published\" datetime=\"2025-12-19T13:30:00-06:00\">December 19, 2025<\/time><time class=\"updated\" datetime=\"2025-12-22T08:59:30-06:00\">December 22, 2025<\/time>\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-meta -->\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div><!-- .entry-wrapper -->\n\t<\/article>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday heard oral arguments over the constitutionality of Senate Bill 1027, the sweeping legislation enacted in May that imposes several requirements on initiative petition organizers.&nbsp; The high court\u2019s ruling will shape the future of voter-led ballot initiative campaigns in Oklahoma, which have brought criminal justice reform, legalized medical marijuana and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2625206,"featured_media":753077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"gigafact_has_fact_brief":false,"gigafact_remote_fact_brief_post_id":0,"gigafact_remote_sync_timestamp":"","gigafact_remote_sync_status":"","gigafact_remote_sync_response":"","gigafact_has_been_published":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"everlit_article_id":"artl_2QdBkimdEna","everlit_hide_embed":false,"everlit_embed_size":"","everlit_generation_settings":{"primary_voice":"4","guest_voice":"48","default_sonic_optimization":false,"default_conversation_mode":false,"default_read_alt_text":false,"default_read_urls":false,"default_read_author_byline":false,"default_publication":"pblc_lV8RK9ULW4x","language":"en-US","intro_mixable":3,"outro_mixable":3,"intro_duration":15,"outro_duration":15,"intro_padding":3,"outro_padding":4,"default_skip_article_image":false,"skip_auto_generation":false,"disable_music":false,"disclaimer":"","disclaimer_voice":"","is_for_subscriber":false,"embed_ui_cover_art":true,"embed_ui_title_intro":"","embed_ui_title_icon":""},"_everlit_article_id":"","_everlit_hide_embed":false,"_everlit_embed_size":"","_everlit_generation_settings":[],"_everlit_content_hash":"","_everlit_metadata_hash":"43f58dcd5d42f17ba62c1078eb4bc55c","_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[16074,46],"tags":[19104,21430,20832,9920],"series":[],"coauthors":[2919],"class_list":["post-753074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-democracy","category-government","tag-ballot-initiative","tag-randall-yates","tag-senate-bill-1027","tag-state-question","entry"],"fact_brief":null,"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Oklahoma Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Initiative Petition Bill - Oklahoma Watch<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/11\/19\/oklahoma-supreme-court-hears-arguments-on-initiative-petition-bill\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Oklahoma Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Initiative Petition Bill - Oklahoma Watch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday heard oral arguments over the constitutionality of Senate Bill 1027, the sweeping legislation enacted in May that imposes several requirements on initiative petition organizers.&nbsp; The high court\u2019s ruling will shape the future of voter-led ballot initiative campaigns in Oklahoma, which have brought criminal justice reform, legalized medical marijuana and [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/11\/19\/oklahoma-supreme-court-hears-arguments-on-initiative-petition-bill\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Oklahoma Watch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/OklahomaWatch\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-19T12:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-19T20:06:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-18-at-12.26.20-PM_upscale-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1739\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Keaton Ross\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@_KeatonRoss\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@OklahomaWatch\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Keaton Ross\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/11\/19\/oklahoma-supreme-court-hears-arguments-on-initiative-petition-bill\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/11\/19\/oklahoma-supreme-court-hears-arguments-on-initiative-petition-bill\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Keaton Ross\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/#\/schema\/person\/41c8bb012be003aa79930999d2a32ca0\"},\"headline\":\"Oklahoma Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Initiative Petition Bill\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-11-19T12:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-19T20:06:36+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/11\/19\/oklahoma-supreme-court-hears-arguments-on-initiative-petition-bill\/\"},\"wordCount\":734,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/11\/19\/oklahoma-supreme-court-hears-arguments-on-initiative-petition-bill\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/oklahomawatch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot-2025-11-18-at-12.26.20-PM_upscale-scaled.jpg?fit=2560%2C1739&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"ballot initiative\",\"randall yates\",\"Senate Bill 1027\",\"state question\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Democracy\",\"Government\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/11\/19\/oklahoma-supreme-court-hears-arguments-on-initiative-petition-bill\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/11\/19\/oklahoma-supreme-court-hears-arguments-on-initiative-petition-bill\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2025\/11\/19\/oklahoma-supreme-court-hears-arguments-on-initiative-petition-bill\/\",\"name\":\"Oklahoma Supreme Court Hears Arguments on Initiative Petition Bill - 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