OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (KOKH) — An Oklahoma lawmaker wants to amend the state constitution to allow for recall elections at the state level.
State Sen. Bill Coleman (R-Ponca City) plans to bring his idea to fellow policymakers during the upcoming legislative session.
“The will of the people is something that should be taken very seriously,” he shared.
His joint resolution concerns statewide offices and state representatives and senators.
Recalls already exist at the local level in Oklahoma in certain cases, according to Sen. Coleman.
He argued, “The people need to be involved, and the people will have the final say if this process goes through.”
His proposal would just allow lawmakers to vote on whether a recall should take place amid public concern. Then, the issue would go to voters.
State Rep. Mickey Dollens (D-Oklahoma City) supports the overall idea but asserted that voters should be able to get the process started too.
In his view, “It would be best for citizens to be able to initiate that petition, to circulate it, gather signatures, and reach a threshold to then be able to vote on whether or not they’d like to retain that election official.”
Rep. Dollens thinks the people might be willing to step in when politics might stop lawmakers from acting.
Current procedures like impeachment and conviction in the state senate don’t have direct input from voters.
“The citizens of Oklahoma would be left out of this process with the current system that we have,” Sen. Coleman added.
Should the resolution go through, it would become a state ballot question put to the voters in 2026.
The measure is still in its early stages, however, and the exact contours haven’t been finalized yet.
The language of the resolution is due to be filed by Jan. 16.
