November 2026 Archives

In-person absentee voting will be available at your county's early voting locations on Wednesday, October 28, through Friday, October 30, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturday, October 31, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tulsa County will have in-person absentee voting at four locations:

• the new Tulsa County Election Board HQ, 12000 E. Skelly Drive
• Tulsa Tech Broken Arrow Campus near 111th Street S. & 129th East Ave. (aka Florence and Olive)
• O'Brien Park Recreation Center, 6149 N. Lewis Ave.
• Chandler Park Community Center, 6500 W. 21st St.

Polls in each precinct will be open Tuesday, November 3, 2026, from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

NOTE: Precinct boundaries, voting locations, and district boundaries have changed, in some cases dramatically. Enter your name and date of birth on the Oklahoma State Election Board's online voter portal and you will see where to vote and your sample ballot.

In response to popular demand, I have assembled the guidance detailed below into a downloadable, printable PDF on one sheet of paper (front and back this time).

Originally posted on October 24, 2026, and postdated to remain at the top until the polls close on Election Day. I will be adding more links and detail between now and the election.

Here are the candidates I'm recommending and (if in the district) voting for in the Oklahoma general election and City of Tulsa runoff election on November 3, 2026. Click the hyperlink on the office to see detailed information on that race and its candidates. (This entry will change as I decide to add more detail, link previous articles, or discuss additional races between now and election day.)

State Questions

• SQ 845 (reform of governor appointees to Judicial Nominating Commission): YES
• SQ 847 (lower caps on property tax valuation increases): YES

Statewide Officials

Mike Mazzei was the best conservative choice for governor in the primary and runoff, and now that he faces a far-left Democrat in the general election, a vote for the candidate that supports lower taxes, more fiscally responsible state government, and school choice should be an easy call. We need a Republican governor to continue to fill court vacancies with conservative judges (one of Gov. Stitt's strongest achievements), to do better than Stitt about appointments of university regents, and to appoint strong conservatives to the State Board of Education as a check on whichever candidate is elected State Superintendent. Ideology matters, and it matters that Mike Mazzei and AG nominee Jon Echols have 100% pro-life voting records and Cyndi Munson has a 100% pro-abortion voting record.

While any given RINO is usually better than any given Democrat, the State Superintendent race this year is a different matter: The best choice for conservative voters is a proven, principled, courageous champion for accountability, but she has a D after her name. As a Tulsa school board member, the Rev. Dr. Jennettie Marshall courageously pushed for a state audit of TPS finances, which uncovered criminal wrongdoing, while most of her colleagues (including Democrat congressional nominee John "Flaky" Croisant) turned a blind eye and enabled the fraud and waste that has led to the current round of school closings. Marshall was a critic of then-Superintendent Deborah Gist and opposed the board majority's annual votes to extend Gist's contract. The liberal public ed establishment opposed Marshall in the primary and opposes her in the general, preferring Robert Franklin, the liberal pretend-Republican who considers conservative Christians hateful. I've noticed that it's easier for Republican elected officials and Republican Party officials to oppose bad ideas from a Democrat elected official than the same bad ideas coming from a Republican. While Marshall is no conservative, she has a record of holding public school officials accountable for their use of public funds and for educational results.

• Governor: Mike Mazzei (R)
• Lieutenant Governor: T. W. Shannon (R)
• Attorney General: Jon Echols (R)
• State Treasurer: Cindy Byrd (R)
• Superintendent of Public Instruction: Jennettie Marshall (D)
• Labor Commissioner: Kevin West (R)
• Insurance Commissioner: Bob Sullivan (R)
• Corporation Commissioner: Brad Boles (R)

Federal Officials

Nothing is more important this year than maintaining Republican control of both houses of Congress, however disappointing some of our individual congressmen are. A Democrat majority means the likes of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and Ilhan Omar in charge of congressional committees and lots of impeachment trials. Republican majorities protect the conservative, pro-America agenda of the Executive Branch and the confirmation of more constitutionalists as Federal judges.

• U. S. Senator: Kevin Hern (R)
• U. S. House, CD 1: Mark Tedford (R)
• U. S. House, CD 2: Josh Brecheen (R)
• U. S. House, CD 3: Frank Lucas(R)
• U. S. House, CD 4: Tom Cole (R)
• U. S. House, CD 5: Stephanie Bice (R)

Judicial Retention

Every six years, voters get the chance to fire state Supreme Court justices and appellate judges. I'm recommending firing one Supreme Court justice and two Court of Civil Appeals judges, which will allow Gov. Mazzei to appoint constitutionalist replacements. Below, the judges on the retention ballot (vote yes or no on each -- they aren't running against each other), with the age, county, appointing governor, year of appointment, and party of voter registration in parentheses, followed by my recommendation.

• Oklahoma Supreme Court
• District 1: M. John Kane (64, Osage, Stitt, 2019, R): YES
• District 4: Travis V. Jett (42, Woodward, Stitt, 2025, R): YES
• District 6: Dana Kuehn (55, Tulsa, Stitt, 2021, R): YES
• District 9: Richard B. Darby (68, Jackson, Fallin, 2018, R): NO
• Oklahoma Court of Criminal Appeals
• District 2: Robert L. Hudson (69, Logan, Fallin, 2015, R): YES
• Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals
• District 1, Office 1: Stacie L. Hixon (52, Tulsa, Stitt, 2020, R): YES
• District 1, Office 2: Jane P. Wiseman (79, Tulsa, Henry, 2005, D): NO
• District 2, Office 1: Deborah B. Barnes (72, Osage, Henry, 2008, D): NO
• District 2, Office 2: James R. Huber (58, Tulsa, Stitt, R): YES

District Court

Only three of the 14 elected district judge positions in District 14 (Tulsa and Pawnee Counties) were contested this year. Two incumbents, Caroline Wall and Kevin Gray, both registered Republicans, deserve re-election. Those seats are elected by all voters in Tulsa and Pawnee Counties.

Office 4, an open seat, is elected by only a portion of Tulsa County; Dustin Allen is by far the best qualified and the most conservative choice. His opponent, Loretta Radford, revealed her progressive politics and her support for partiality in the law during her recent stint as Legal Director for the Oklahoma City University School of Law Center for Criminal Justice. Radford has said that diversifying the bench was the "single most important goal" for the law profession in Oklahoma, and she called for "implicit bias" testing and training, imposing this DEI notion upon anyone who seeks to be a lawyer or a judge in Oklahoma. Radford lauded Joe Biden's appointment of Ketanji Brown-Jackson to the U. S. Supreme Court.

• District 14, Office 1 (Tulsa, Pawnee Counties): Caroline Wall (R)(i)
• District 14, Office 4 (Tulsa County Judicial Election District 4 only): Dustin Allen (R)
• District 14, Office 12 (Tulsa, Pawnee Counties): Kevin Gray (R)(i)
• Washington County Associate District Judge: Todd Cone (R)

State Legislature

The general rule is to vote Republican, but we want to be careful not to add crypto-liberals to the GOP caucus. That said, a crony-capitalist chamber pot is still better than a guano loco leftist.

There are a few legislative candidates that especially deserve your support:

• Senate 6: David Bullard (R)(i)
• Senate 17 (unexpired): Justin Wood (R)
• Senate 24: Jon Painter (R)
• House 3: Rick West (R)(i)
• House 16: David Nelson (R)
• House 20: Jonathan Wilk (R)(i)
• House 23: Derrick Hildebrant (R)(i)
• House 24: Chris Banning (R)(i)
• House 32: Jim Shaw (R)(i)
• House 33: Molly Jenkins (R)(i)
• House 41: Denise Crosswhite Hader(R)(i)
• House 53: Jason Blair (R)(i)
• House 68: Tom Lay (R)(i)
• House 79: Paul Hassink (R)
• House 86: David Hardin (R)(i)
• House 98: Gabe Woolley (R)(i)

(Jamison Faught's recommendations prompted me to add some good names from other parts of Oklahoma.)

City of Tulsa

All Tulsa voters will have a city proposition on the ballot to increase the city hotel/motel tax, but only one Tulsa City Council seat remains up for grabs.

Three seats and the City Auditor's position (Bellis, Bengel, Lakin, plus Auditor Nathan Pickard, all incumbents) were won in April when only one candidate filed. Five seats were settled in August when a candidate (four incumbents, Archie, Dutton, Gilbert, and Decter Wright, with Pete Regan winning the open District 9 seat) received more than 50% of the vote.

That leaves District 1 incumbent Vanessa Hall-Harper, who managed to upset enough of her constituents to draw four opponents. The runoff eliminated all but one opponent, TCC instructor Corinice Wilson. You can read my detailed discussion of the District 1 City Council races in my August election preview; the goal remains the same: Replace Vanessa Hall-Harper. Her campaign slogan says she's "unbought, unbossed, and unafraid," but in reality, she's Unhinged, Uncouth, and Unfit for office, as she demonstrated most recently after her failed attempt to create a 20/20 hindsight committee to second-guess Tulsa police officers.

While proponents say the proposed doubling of the city hotel/motel sales tax rate won't cost locals a penny, it puts more cash in the hands of an irresponsible city government that puts ill-conceived social programs ahead of their basic responsibilities.

• Tulsa City Council District 1: Corinice Wilson (D)
• City of Tulsa hotel tax increase: NO

Other local races

On the ballot card, I have listed county and municipal races and propositions in the Tulsa metro area, but I have only provided recommendations in a few races thus far.

In Wagoner County's Oak Grove Fire Protection District, where they will vote on whether to equalize the millage in an area east of Broken Arrow that was annexed into the district at the 2024 general election. The tax rate in the older part of the district was 10 mills; this would raise the tax rate in the newly annexed area from 7 to 10 mills, or from $70 per year on a $100,000 home to $100 per year.

UPDATE 2026/10/27: I was sent a link to a newsletter written by Gary Kilpatrick of Bartlesville, listing his recommendations for election day. Given that we're in agreement on national and state races (he also supports SQ 845 and gets into the details of how this would affect judicial nominations), I'm inclined to trust his analysis of candidates for Bartlesville City Council. Kilpatrick lists four current council controversies (public drag queen performances, Flock cameras, public comment rules at city council meetings, hiring a new city manager) and explains how the incumbents and challengers stand on those issues and the reasons behind his recommendations. Based on his comments, I've added my recommendations to the printable ballot card. UPDATE 2026/11/02: Kilpatrick's recommendation in Ward 4 was "Aaron Kirkpatrick or Joel Rabin - your pick." I originally listed Rabin, as based on Kilpatrick's discussion, Kirkpatrick was on the wrong side of several key issues. However, Rabin was recently arrested for assault with a deadly weapon, striking someone with his car and pointing a gun. I'm withdrawing my recommendation in that race.

UPDATE 2026/10/29: Some information on the Verdigris Fire District Board race: Bruce Coon, 56, served 20 years as a Verdigris volunteer firefighter. My source, a former Verdigris firefighter, said that Coon is a great guy and a conservative and knows how the Verdigris Fire District operates. My source said he would vote for Bruce Coon no matter who else is running. I was told that incumbent Dan Merkey, a veterinarian, is a very nice person, but may be ready to step aside after years of service. Merkey, now 85, was elected to the fire board without opposition in 1986, and in in a 2004 news story was described as chairman of the board, but it's unclear whether his tenure began in 1986 or earlier and whether it has been continuous since then.

• Bartlesville Ward 1: Tim Sherrick (R)(i)
• Bartlesville Ward 2: Cameron Byers (R)
• Bartlesville Ward 3: Josh Lock (R)
• Bartlesville Ward 4: No recommendation.
• Bartlesville Ward 5: Eddie Collins (R)
• Oak Grove (Wagoner Co.) Fire District millage: YES
• Verdigris Fire Board: Bruce Coon (R)

MORE INFORMATION:

POLLING:

There have not been any reputable public polls of Oklahoma's statewide races. Given the recent revelations about bogus polls gaining mainstream media coverage, that may be for the best.

OTHER CONSERVATIVE VOICES:

Here are some blogs, endorsement lists, candidate questionnaires, and sources of information for your consideration.

• Muskogee Politico news, questionnaires, and analysis
• Muskogee Politico 2026 general election recommendations
• Muskogee Politico judicial retention picks
• The Oklahoma State Capital (former State Rep. Jason Murphey)
• Jason Murphey's general election recommendations
• Jason Murphey judicial retention picks
• Steve Fair, former Republican National Committeeman
• Oklahoma Constitution Index: Scores incumbent legislators on voting record
• iVoterGuide surveys of Oklahoma statewide, federal, and legislative candidates
• Tulsa County Republican Party candidate guide, with links to social media, GOP questionnaires, and GOP candidate interview transcripts
• Make Oklahoma Healthy Again (MOHA) PAC endorsements -- formerly Oklahomans for Health and Parental Rights (OKHPR)
• Oklahomans for Life candidate surveys: Students for Life Action Vetted Candidates
• Oklahomans for the 2nd Amendment (OK2A)
• NRA-PVF survey grades and endorsements
• Tulsa Beacon endorsements
• OCPAC Action endorsements

ANTI-CONSERVATIVE VOICES:

There are some self-styled "conservative influencers" who have shown themselves confused, inconsistent, or downright treacherous. Caveat lector. Some dash off sloppy endorsement emails filled with easily checked inaccuracies -- they're either not doing the homework or not able to understand the information they're reading. Anyone who would work to replace the only conservative on the Tulsa school board with a progressive or promote RINO Gentner Drummond for Governor, or anyone who promoted an inexperienced left-winger for District Attorney, is not someone conservatives should look to for endorsements.

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If you appreciate the many hours of research that went into this guide and into the rest of my election coverage, and if you'd like to help keep this site online, you can contribute to BatesLine's upkeep via PayPal. You can also support BatesLine through a paid Substack subscription. In addition to keeping me caffeinated, donated funds pay for web hosting, subscriptions, and paid databases I use for research. Many thanks to those generous readers who have already contributed.

Finally, a reminder that there are more important things than who wins the next election. There are Two Ways to Live; choose you this day whom you will serve....

While I have your attention:

I was asked recently if there were any books on early Oklahoma history I could recommend. Here are a few, some of which I've read only recently. The titles are hyperlinked to the publisher's website if still in print. Where available, I've included links to the Internet Archive's online lending library. Gardner's Books in Tulsa has a shelf of local history books, where I've acquired several of the items listed below. You may also find these in the Oklahoma Room at Tulsa Central Library for in-library use only. You may find these books for sale via AbeBooks or eBay.

This is certainly not a comprehensive list but simply the first books that came to mind, many of which I've read or reread recently, books that I've found enjoyable and informative.

There are only two ways for City of Tulsa voters to express their disappointment in city government in this election.

Every Tulsa voter can say no to the Tulsa Regional Chamber's money grab, the proposed doubling of the hotel tax that will nearly double the revenue the Chamber gets for convention and tourism "services."

The second method is available only to residents of Council District 1. Those voters have the opportunity to retire Councilor Vanessa Hall-Harper after 10 years in office.

Back before the first stage of the City of Tulsa election in August, I wrote:

If we're to have any hope of returning Tulsa city government to sanity, the first step is to break up the Mean Girl Clique on the City Council.

At a recent City Council meeting, while a citizen spoke about the need for independent ethics oversight of the Council, Councilors Vanessa Hall Harper, Jackie Dutton, Lori Decter Wright, Laura Bellis, and one redacted non-councilor engaged in ridicule of the speaker over a group chat, giggling and trading looks.

Their behavior appalls former councilors across the political spectrum. This isn't the first time they've been caught in this childish behavior. They're on the record labeling conservative Tulsans as "actual fascists," but Bellis, Hall Harper, and Decter Wright teamed up with GT Bynum to keep one of their council colleagues from working for a living because he dared to oppose a tax increase. That seems pretty fascistic to me. If Hall Harper, Dutton, Decter Wright, and Bellis lack the impulse control to wait until after the meeting to share their snarky comments, they don't belong on the City Council. Bellis, alas, is unopposed, but defeating the other three would be a good start.

Sadly, Dutton and Decter Wright won re-election in August. The only remaining hope of change is to replace Hall-Harper with her runoff opponent, Corinice Wilson.

Ten years ago, the proposed Vision Tulsa tax claimed northside benefits, but delivered nothing of substance specifically for the residents of north Tulsa. All the "north Tulsa" projects involved major institutions like Gilcrease Museum, the Tulsa Zoo, and the Tulsa International Airport, which exist in bubbles of their own. Vanessa Hall-Harper was one of many citizens who felt the northside had been sold out by long-time councilor Jack Henderson, and she opposed the low-water dam taxes.

Later that year Hall-Harper challenged Henderson and made it to the November runoff, and I endorsed her election:

I was sad to see Jack Henderson work against the interests of District 1 by backing the regressive sales tax for dams in the Arkansas River. Burdening Tulsa's poorest neighborhoods with higher taxes so residents of our wealthier neighborhoods can look at water in the river is unjust, and the Jack Henderson I thought I knew used to understand that. Vanessa Hall-Harper does understand that. She stood against the dam sales tax. While I would never expect a conservative to win District 1, we can at least hope for a city councilor who wants to help her constituents to conserve their own hard-earned funds.

Since that first election, I haven't noticed Hall-Harper doing anything to protect her constituency, which includes some of the city's poorest neighborhoods and most neglected civic infrastructure, from higher taxes for projects that won't benefit them. She has backed every new city tax proposal since her election. The hoped-for improvement has not materialized.

In addition to Hall-Harper's participation in the Mean Girls Caucus, BatesLine readers will recall Hall-Harper's shameful, racist slur against U. S. Senator Tim Scott (R-South Carolina) after Sen. Scott's response to the 2021 State of the Union address.

Just last month, Hall-Harper's proposed commission to second-guess police officers using 20/20 hindsight nearly passed with a 4-4-1 vote. Reality Snark on X has the clip and a transcription of Hall-Harper's racist rant when the vote did not go her way:

"...but, then you got to understand.. from an historical perspective in this country that's intentional...That's why only historically who can engage and participate in government, WHITE MEN WITH LAND" That is the history...cause I'm a history teacher... That is the history...You obviously haven't read a book (to audience member who disagreed). History bears that out, and it still is apropos today---thats just the reality of it and we are still reeling from it today."

Hall-Harper's involvement in moving money from the Kirkpatrick Heights project has raised a lot of ire from other northside leaders. Before the primary, candidate Mareo Johnson pointed out yet another sales tax bait-and-switch involving incumbent Hall Harper:

District 1 doesn't just need another person who knows how to sit at City Hall. District 1 needs someone who understands how taxpayer dollars are supposed to be monitored, how voter-approved funds should be protected, and how to hold government accountable.

This year an ordinance proposing that $5 million associated with Kirkpatrick Heights/Greenwood be amended to District 1 economic-development projects. The official council documents specifically identify the proposed $5 million change.

This is important to know because Tulsa voters approved $5 million in the Improve Our Tulsa sales-tax extension for future investments in the Kirkpatrick Heights-Greenwood Master Plan area.

When voters approve money for a specific purpose, a Councilor shouldn't move that money.

While publicly advocating moving the 56 acres into the Greenwood Trust rather than Greenwood Legacy CDC, arguing that the Trust would be community-led. That's interesting. Couldn't move the 56 acres into a trust, so the next thing is to try to reallocate the money from, which is voter approved for the certain project. Not cool at all.

Here's more about the City Council's vote to move control of the $5 million.

Corinice Wilson is the challenger. She is assistant professor of sociology at Tulsa Community College. Many years ago, she served as community outreach coordinator for Community Action Project Tulsa County (CAPTC). In 2016-2017, Wilson was a leader in neighborhood protests against GKFF's industrial park development at 36th Street North and Mohawk Boulevard.

The next Governor of Oklahoma will sign and veto legislation, appoint judges and justices, appoint the State Board of Education, appoint members of the boards of regents who oversee our state colleges and universities, set budget priorities, and occupy the "bully pulpit" of the Governor's Office for four years. The sanctity of human life is significant to all of those roles and responsibilities, and there's a stark contrast, documented in legislative votes, between the Republican and Democrat nominees.

Tony Lauinger, State Chairman of Oklahomans for Life, who has done more than anyone I know to advance the sanctity of human life in law and culture in Oklahoma, compares the statewide and federal candidates who have a legislative record on abortion, assisted suicide, and related issues.

**Pro-Life Republican Mike Mazzei Facing Off vs.
Pro-Abortion Democrat Cyndi Munson in
Governor's Race; Candidate Surveys Posted**

During his 12 years in the state Senate, Republican candidate for Governor Mike Mazzei voted 27 times on legislation supported by Oklahomans For Life. He voted pro-life all 27 times, giving him a 100% pro-life voting record. Mike Mazzei responded to all ten questions on our 2026 Candidate Survey with pro-life answers.

During her 11 years in the state House of Representatives, Democrat candidate for Governor Cyndi Munson voted 26 times on legislation supported by Oklahomans For Life. She voted in opposition to the pro-life position of Oklahomans For Life all 26 times, giving her a **100% pro-abortion **voting record. Cyndi Munson did not return her Candidate Survey responses to us.

In other key races, Republican candidate for Attorney General Jon Echols has been a very strong and effective pro-life leader during his 12 years in the state House of Representatives, serving for most of that time as Majority Floor Leader.

Republican candidate for Lieutenant Governor T.W. Shannon is a former Speaker of the House in the Oklahoma legislature where he, likewise, was a very strong and effective pro-life leader.

Candidate Survey responses for the November 3 General Election for Statewide offices (non-federal), Oklahoma state Senate, and Oklahoma state House of Representatives are posted on our Oklahomans For Life website. Please click below:

Candidate Surveys for November 3, 2026, General Election

Regarding Congress, all Oklahoma members of the U.S. House of Representatives have pro-life voting records: Kevin Hern in District 1, Josh Brecheen in District 2, Frank Lucas in District 3, Tom Cole in District 4, and Stephanie Bice in District 5.

Congressman Kevin Hern is running for the U.S. Senate seat formerly held by Markwayne Mullin, who resigned to lead the Department of Homeland Security. Mark Tedford, who has a pro-life voting record in the state House of Representatives, is running for the District 1 U.S. House seat being vacated by Kevin Hern.

Thank you.

Tony Lauinger, State Chairman

Please take a minute to look at the Oklahomans for Life survey. Not that many years ago, the survey questions were often asked prospectively, "Will you support legislation...." The good news is that now many of the questions end with, "Will you oppose any attempt to repeal or weaken this protective law?" Oklahoma has established strong protections for the unborn and strong protections for vulnerable elderly and disabled. We need to be sure that our legislators are committed to keeping those protections in place, that our Governor will uphold those protections in his executive actions and appointments, that our Attorney General will defend those protections when they are challenged in Federal court, and that we have judges and justices who will enforce and uphold those laws.