Oklahoma Election 2026: July 2026 Archives

Oklahoma has a relatively strong voter ID law, which was approved as SQ 746 at the November 2, 2010, general election, with 74% of the vote. SQ 746 enacted several amendments to Title 26 (Elections) of Oklahoma Statutes. The law specifies the attributes of an ID card that would be considered acceptable (unexpired, government-issued with a photograph and matching name) and makes allowance for provisional ballots for someone who seeks to vote without a valid ID. The sole exception to the photograph requirement is the paper voter ID card that is sent to each voter by the County Election Board to the registration mailing address. (Here's the Oklahoma State Election Board's FAQ on voter ID.)

State Question 846 (746+100!) doesn't change any of that, but it would make it a constitutional requirement to present proof of identity to vote in Oklahoma. Currently, the legislature could abolish voter ID without voter approval; SQ 846 would make that impossible without a vote of the people. The question will be on the August 25, 2026, runoff election ballot. In April 2026, the Legislature approved SJR 47 to send the issue to the voters. SJR 47 passed 78-15 in the House and 39-8 in the Senate along party lines. If passed, it would add the following new section to Article III (Suffrage) of the Oklahoma Constitution:

Section 6. Each voter shall present proof of identity to the appropriate election official when voting at any election authorized by law and conducted by a county election board or the State Election Board. Proof of identity shall be required for any method of voting authorized by law. The Legislature shall enact laws necessary to specify the requirements for proof of identity for voting as required by this section.

The current form of Article III was approved in SQ 531 in November 1978, with a slight amendment to Section 1 in SQ 834 at the November 2024 election, clarifying that only US citizens may vote.

This is an easy YES vote.

Truth in Focus Media in Tulsa has launched a podcast covering a variety of issues, including state and local politics. Truth in Focus is headed by and the podcast is hosted by David McLain, pastor of Heartland Church. McLain has also served as chairman of the Tulsa County Republican Party and the Oklahoma Republican Party. McLain took up the work begun by the late Bruce DeLay, who hosted the weekly Heartland Nation broadcast on KFAQ 1170.

The TIFMedia podcast and channel is quite new; McLain has also interviewed State Superintendent candidate James Taylor, who made it into the August runoff.

Recently I sat down with David to talk about my background, the history and focus of BatesLine, and why citizen journalism matters. We also talked about:

• the impact of data centers,
• corporate welfare and economic development,
• the implosion of the Jackson Lahmeyer campaign and Mark Tedford's win in the open 1st Congressional District primary,
• Craig Hagin's downfall and whether a ministry and calling is heritable,
• massive campaign spending in the Republican primary for governor,
• bait and switch in the legislative process,
• dark money in the Tulsa County District Attorney's race,
• George Soros's efforts to elect district attorneys across America,
• what happened in the 2024 Tulsa Mayor's race and how the local Republican Party could have made a difference,
• Tulsa's homeless crisis and the mistaken view of humanity that shapes Tulsa's philanthropists.

Here's the talk that I mentioned which Mark Tedford gave to Patriot Pastors before the primary. Tedford spoke about his background and his spiritual journey, his decision to get a master's in Christian apologetics and the Christian view of vocation and work.

I didn't mention this in the conversation, but the logo on my shirt is from my 40-year college reunion, which I attended at the beginning of June. The logo features MIT's Great Dome, with three raindrops to recall the steady drizzle that fell on us as we listened to the world's most boring commencement speaker and waited to receive our diplomas.

BONUS: In looking for my Truth in Focus episode, I came across a short interview that Pete Ingemi, DaTechGuy, did with me at the US Capitol back in 2010, the first BlogCon sponsored by FreedomWorks.