Podcast Episodes 60-62: All Things Election
We recorded two episodes the week prior to the election that didn’t get posted here, so I’m combining them with our post-election recap for a comprehensive election post!
In episode 60 we revealed that Scott and I have been working on an Oklahoma-only election forecast model, similar (though not nearly as advanced) as the good folks at FiveThirtyEight. We also talked about “voting plans,” what they are and why you need one.
In episode 61 we briefly discussed the races we’d be keeping a close eye on (and why) during election night.
And last but not least, in episode 62 we discussed what happened during the election, why Stitt beat Edmondson, and what this means for the upcoming 2019 legislative session.
Podcasts Eps. 58 & 59 | Recap of a debate and follow-up with several candidates
This week is a banner week for #LetsPodThis - we posted not one but two episodes! (Okay, yes, we did that once last month as well. What can we say - it’s a busy time of year!)
This week starts with Episode 58, “On the Road Again,” in which we catch up with two candidates who have been travelling the state together during their campaigns - Democratic candidate for Labor Commissioner Fred Dorrell and Democratic candidate for Insurance Commissioner Kimberly Fobbs.
Next is Episode 59, “CD5 Debate and another Labor Commissioner candidate,” which contains a brief recap of the debate between candidates for US Congress, incumbent Steve Russell (R) and challenger Kendra Horn (D), followed by an interview with the Republican candidate for Labor Commissioner, Leslie Osborn.
The debate between Russell and Horn was hosted by NonDoc, and we highly recommend you read their full recap of the event. This is a race that is garnering national attention - which is unusual for Oklahoma congressional races for the last decade or so.
Podcast Ep. 57 | 2018 State Questions Guide
Summary
We discuss the pros and cons of each of the five state questions that are on the ballot this year.
Announcements
Reminder that Nov 6th is Election Day - which means you need to vote. And then, in the evening following, you’re all invited to join us for The Election Night Show!
Links & Articles Discussed
The video clip of The West Wing used as the opening to this episode.
Health Department faces employee lawsuit (Journal Record)
Pulling back from partisanship (our blog post from late 2017)
Take-Aways
We discussed the five state questions that appear on the ballot this November. We’ll publish our own voter guide later this week, but until then, here are two excellent guides that we highly recommend:
Podcast Ep. 56 | Everybody likes sandwiches
Announcements
Ballot review meet-ups on Nov 3rd (specific times & locations TBD)
The Election Night Show on Nov 6th
Articles & Links Discussed
Take-Aways
As the Oklahoma legislature grapples with how to implement medical marijuana, there are a number of concerns being voiced from nearly every profession.
This week, the #okleg Joint Working Group (yes really) heard from the banking community. Since marijuana is still illegal at the federal level, banks are hesitant to work with anyone in the marijuana industry. That means businesses must use cash and may be forced to hold on to large amounts of it. It also means the state must collect sales tax in cash…which poses big issues for how that happens as well.
However, other states seem to be handling it just fine, so maybe things will work out in Oklahoma.
Our guest for this episode, Mark Myles, is running for Attorney General. During the interview, Mr. Myles speaks broadly about his background as an attorney (as both a prosecutor and defense attorney) and his perspective on the role of the Oklahoma AG both now and in the future.
Podcast Ep. 55 | Commissioner Candidates Chat
In this episode, we sit down with two candidates running for statewide office - Kimberly Fobbs, who is running for Insurance Commissioner, and Fred Dorrell, who is running for Labor Commissioner. #Votelahoma
Preparing for the Primaries
We believe that there should be more to political campaigns than commercials, mailers, and knocking doors. In particular, we believe that those who seek statewide office should be required to stand on a stage with their opponents and in front of a audience of voters and answer questions about specific issues that they will face if they are elected.
We believe that there should be more to political campaigns than commercials, mailers, and knocking doors. In particular, we believe that those who seek statewide office should be required to stand on a stage with their opponents and in front of a audience of voters and answer questions about specific issues that they will face if they are elected.
And so, over the last couple of weeks, we partnered with other nonpartisan organizations such as NonDoc, Generation Citizen, Women Lead, Freedom Oklahoma, and Folded Owl to host several debates between candidates for some of the statewide elected positions.
Since this was in preparation for the primary election, the debates were segmented by the respective parties. Links to summaries of each debate are included below, along with the video from the event so you can watch it yourself. (Apologies in advance for the Republican Labor Commissioner debate video - it was our first one, and we had some kinks to work out, so you'll have to go to Facebook in order to watch it.)
Labor Commissioner
Auditor & Inspector General
- Republican candidates: Summary (Video is below)
- Democratic candidates: There are no Democratic candidates for this position.
- Libertarian candidates: There is one Libertarian candidates, so he automatically advances to the general election in November.
Attorney General
- Republican candidates: Summary (Video is below)
- Democratic candidates: There is only one Democratic candidates, so he automatically advances to the general election in November.
Debate Videos
Labor Commissioner: Republican Candidates
Labor Commissioner: Democratic Candidates
Auditor & Inspector General
Attorney General
It's time to Save Our State
Yesterday we joined more than two dozen nonprofit and professional organizations to announce the Save Our State budget plan. This three-year budget blueprint is far more than just the gimmicky fixes that the legislature often passes - this plan puts Oklahoma on a real, sustainable path to prosperity. It steers us away from more devastating budget cuts and allows us to actually invest in education, public safety, healthcare, and transportation.
Yesterday Let's Fix This stood with nearly two dozen nonprofit and professional organizations to announce the Save Our State budget plan. This three-year budget blueprint is far more than just the gimmicky fixes that the legislature often passes - this plan puts Oklahoma on a real, sustainable path to prosperity. It steers us away from more devastating budget cuts and allows us to actually invest in education, public safety, healthcare, and transportation.
You probably know the phrase "We're all in this together," and this budget plan definitely embodies that idea. It's broad-based and reflects the ideals of the democratic republic in which we live - if everyone gives a little, we all get a lot in return. Rich and poor, sales and services, oil and wind, public and private - everybody chips in to share the responsibility for helping Oklahoma reach it's full potential.
This isn't the only budget plan out there. Governor Fallin announced her plan at the beginning of session, and it has a few strong components. The House Democrats released their "Restoring Oklahoma" budget plan a few weeks ago, and it's pretty solid, too. We chose to join the SOS Coalition because we believe this budget plan is the best recipe for Oklahoma's success. Like any good recipe, ingredients and proportions matter. We encourage lawmakers to not pick and choose just the things they like best; we encourage them to consider the plan as a whole. Think of it like baking a cake - if you leave out some of the ingredients, it's not going to work. In fact, it's going to be a disaster. You can't use just flour and sugar and expect to have a cake that tastes good; you'll just have a pile of dry powder that no one wants. Likewise, you can't just use sugar and eggs. Will it sweet? Yes, it'll also be really gross. Oklahoma deserves better.
Oklahoma deserves a DAMN good cake.
The SOS budget blueprint is based on five key things:
- Address the overall budget situation, not just the public education crisis. The plan ensures there will be enough revenue to avert further budget cuts and invest in key priorities.
- Acknowledge revenue is part of the problem and modernize the tax system while ending special interest giveaways.
- Look beyond the current crisis and propose realistic solutions to structural budget problems plaguing the state.
- Propose reforms to budgeting practices that will increase legislative oversight and reduce the potential for future revenue failures.
- Model the transparency we believe our elected officials should adopt.
Fixing a state is a big task, but it's not insurmountable. We believe that with this plan and your help, together, we can fix this. Visit SaveOurStateOK.org to pledge your support, and then use this 30-second guide to put your support into action.
2016 State Questions Compendium
It's pretty clear that, in Oklahoma, the 2016 election is about two things: presidential candidate hoopla and the seven state questions. With less than a week until the election and early voting already under way, it's hard to believe that anyone has yet to make up their mind about these issues. However, these are complicated issues with far-reaching implications which may not be immediately clear to the average person, and we want to help with that.
It's pretty clear that, in Oklahoma, the 2016 election is about two things: presidential candidate hoopla and the seven state questions. With less than a week until the election and early voting already under way, it's hard to believe that anyone has yet to make up their mind about these issues. However, these are complicated issues with far-reaching implications which may not be immediately clear to the average person, and we want to help with that.
Fortunately, there's a ton of resources out there to help voters understand each of the state questions so that you can cast a well-informed vote. Each of the following resources present summaries of the measures along with:
- The 2016 Oklahoma Voter Guide is arguably the best-known and most widely-distributed resources. It contains really great breakdowns on all the state questions as well as some answers to frequently asked questions about the election. You've probably seen this guide in the local newspapers and on newsstands.
- The Let's Fix This State Questions Explained For Regular People contains a brief summary of each question as well as summaries of the arguments by supporters and opponents.
- The Oklahoma Policy Institute 2016 State Question Guide offers a 2-page summary of all seven measures as well as individual, in-depth PDFs about each state question.
- And last but not least is Ballotpedia, which bills itself as "The Encyclopedia of American Politics," has a page on the Oklahoma state questions and links to more in-depth info about each one.
We encourage you to read each of these guides and discuss the issues with other people. There are a lot of opinions on each of these, but the cool thing about democracy is that you get to decide for yourself what feels right and vote according to that.
If you want to ask other questions, feel free to send us an email or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook.
Now, go on and rock that vote!