|
“As soon as several of the inhabitants
of the United
States
have conceived a sentiment or an idea that they want to produce in the
world, they seek each other out; and when they have found each other,
they unite. From then on, they are
no longer isolated men, but a power one sees from afar, whose actions
serve as an example…”
- Alexis de Tocqueville, Democracy in America
● Consider
Running for Office in 2010:
Filing Dates are June 7,8,9
● Release:
Independents Want
More Candidates (pdf)
● Release:
‘Clean Campaign
Act’ needs reform (pdf)
House Bill 2196
passes House, but needs to be
reformed before
going forward because it protects
incumbents by
severely limiting challengers’ ability
to raise funds
and maybe even pay their filing fee.
● Tripartisanship: The Okahoman editorializes about
OKIES and the
increasing number of Independents.
● Release:
More and More
Oklahoma Independents
(pdf) 9,715
more Oklahomans registered as
Independent since 2006. This was out of 13,564
new
registrations. Bringing the total
number of
Independents to
219,230, or 11%
● Thinking about running for office in
2008? See the
OKIES 2008 candidates and
recruitment page.
● OKIES member Kim
Wright founds the
Organized
Independent Voters of Southwest Oklahoma
● Initiative Petition: Oklahomans for
Ballot Access Reform
to give
voters more choices: www.OkVoterChoice.org
● The Sunday
Oklahoman covers efforts to increase voters’
choices at
the ballot.
● Are voters more
dissatisfied with major party politics?
Only 15% of voting age Oklahomans voted
in 2006 primary,
or 21%
of registered voters, a fifty year low.
Also, three of four
legislative primary races went unopposed.
● “Why
do we limit ourselves to only two choices?”
asks Jamie Lopp in a
letter to the Oklahoman.
● A Sunday
Oklahoman editorial on OKIES shows why
redistricting reform is needed. More background added here.
● Release: OKIES Support Redistricting Reform html / pdf
● Rep.
McMullen fights for Redistricting
Reform (HB 1937)
Gov. Henry says an Independent
Commission may help.
● OK House to have Saturday
session:
“Access to our
state government shouldn’t be limited to
lobbyists and special interests,” said
Speaker Lance Cargill.
● Release: OKIES Supports Ballot Access Reform
html / pdf More
information at www.OkVoterChoice.org
● OKC- Tim
Russert says safe districts makes divisive politics
●
Oklahoma civics classes are not
teaching students how to
participate in government says
Center for Civic Education
● Ballot Access Reform
Bills Introduced. (1/10/07)
● OKIES Issues
page updated. (12/28/06)
● OKIES
interview (3 min) at the Capitol by OETA. (12/4/06)
● Three reasons
why Oklahoma needs more voter choice.
● OKIES in the Tulsa
World. (12/5/06)
● Legislators see problems with straight
ticket voting (11/28/06)
● Urban
Tulsa article mentions OKIES. (11/15/06)
● Release: OKIES members bring up new issues: html / pdf
Who we are:
Oklahomans
who want their voice heard in state and local government, but do not fit
into the two major parties.
What we stand for:
OKIES
wants to bring more voter choice to Oklahoma. Coalition members have many different
views on specific policies, but all agree that a government
answerable to the people is essential.
What we are doing:
OKIES
seeks to provide a voice for the 200,000 Independents across the state by
recruiting and supporting independent-minded candidates and promoting reform
that engages more voters in the
democratic process.
More NEWS
● A
Virginia Independent probably decided
control of the
US
Senate, demonstrating
the power Independents can hold.
● An
Oklahoma Democratic leader sounds
concerned
because six state House
seats were decided by a total
of only 802 votes.
● See 2006 Election Results
for Oklahoma Independents.
● The Sapulpa
Herald highlights Independents. (11/7/06)
● The Oklahoman
says our ballot access laws are too tough.
● Four
reasons to reform Oklahoma’s ballot access laws.
● OKIES
endorses pro-ballot access reform candidates.
Read the press
release: html / pdf. (11/1/06)
● OU Daily
article highlights Independents and the need
for ballot access
reform. (11/1/06)
● OKIES member Richard Prawdzienksi says it is
scary
“how our two-party power
structure forces both candidates
and voters into
undesirable positions” and that “with parties
of their own, the true
agenda of a candidate would stand out
clearly” in a Gazette
commentary. (11/1/06)
● Press
coverage of the formation of OKIES. (11/1/06)
● Oklahoma Coalition of Independents announces
formation
in a statewide press release
(10/27/06).
●
FairVote.org ranks Oklahoma
(pdf) as having the most landslided Congressional races in the nation
and ranks us 42nd on their Democracy Index. (10/24/06)
|
