Hamilton wants vote of the people to decide if post-election audits should be conducted

With tensions still following questions regarding the 2020 election cycle, Sen. Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, wants voters to decide if Oklahoma should conduct random audits following each general election.

Senate Joint Resolution 47 would submit a constitutional amendment to a vote of the people to require post-election audits in 10 randomly selected Oklahoma counties at the conclusion of each general election. Upon the conclusion of the audits, results would be made available to the public.

Hamilton said this move is needed to preserve election integrity in the state.

“Many officials have said there’s no evidence of election irregularities in Oklahoma,” Hamilton said. “I disagree, but even if that’s the case, periodic audits of the way we do business will go a long way to ensure our election processes stay as good as we are led to believe they are. If issues are discovered, then the audits have accomplished their purpose and we can resolve issues before they become major.

“We should look at this like a medical check-up. And if you think about it, we audit honest people’s taxes every day. It only stands to reason that we should audit one of the foundations of our republic to ensure that foundation remains rock solid.”

The resolution has been assigned to the Senate Rules Committee.