Republicans Kill Effort to Remove Patronage From Appointment of County Election Board Secretaries

A measure that would have removed State Senators from the process of appointing County election board secretaries in Oklahoma died in the State Senate Monday when Republicans refused to reconsider an earlier vote on Senate Bill 1032.

All 22 Republican Senators voted against a motion by Senator Kenneth Corn to reconsider the vote on the bill, which had failed in the Senate on a 19-23 vote on March 9. Reconsideration is an often used procedure that allows a second vote on a measure.

“It’s obvious that Republicans want to continue the good old boy system of political patronage in the appointment of county election board secretaries,” said Corn, D-Poteau.

Currently, County Election Board secretaries are appointed by the State Election Board Secretary, who also serves as secretary of the Senate. As a practical matter, Senators have significant input into who is appointed as the county election board secretary in their home county or counties.

Corn’s measure would have required the Oklahoma State Election Board to give a preference of three years experience with elections to any potential appointee as county election board secretary.

“No longer would a person who simply has strong ties with their state senator get an appointment to this vital position. Since passage of the Help America Vote Act by Congress, it is important that we have the most qualified and experienced running elections in Oklahoma,” Corn said. “With the failure of this measure, it’s unlikely to happen this year.”