On May 4, the Oklahoma Senate rejected House amendments to SB 323. That is the bill to increase candidate filing fees. Generally the bill doubles them. Although the bill has passed both houses of the legislature, the versions in each house differ from each other. Because the Senate rejected the House version, the bill must now go to a conference committee. In Oklahoma, often when that happens, time runs out and the bill doesn’t pass.
The vote to reject the House amendments was 20-24. The bill’s sponsor is seeking reconsideration in the Senate. Thanks to E. Zachary Knight for this news.
If SB 323 passes and is signed, the procedure for independent presidential candidates will be harmed. SB 145, which has already passed the legislature, sets a filing fee of $17,500 for independent presidential candidates, and the presidential nominees of unqualified parties, who don’t submit a petition. But if SB 323 becomes law, that amount will be $35,000.
Another bill concerning filing fees, HB 1564, has also passed both houses, but the two versions are very different, so it is going to a conference committee also. The Senate version of HB 1564 raises fees, but the House version doesn’t. Thanks to Chris Powell for the news about HB 1564.
The Senate vote today is recorded as being the Fourth Reading, which indicates that the House amendments were adopted(this can and usually does happen on a voice vote) and the vote was for final passage. That’s the way I understand it, anyway.
http://www.oklegislature.gov/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=sb323&Session=1700
That link shows the vote failed. Is that consistent with what you understand?
Yeah. HB1564 is shown to be going to conference committee and it was amended in the Senate to be substantially the same as SB323 with the higher fees. HB1564 in the House does not raise the fees. It changes the signature requirement from 4% of the number of voters who can choose a candidate the first time they are on the ballot(the primary for partisan candidates) to 1% of the total number of voters within that jurisdiction. It also has a pauper provision to allow someone to prove themselves poor and only gather signatures equal to the dollar amount of the fee.
SB323 passed on reconsideration and has been sent to the Governor.