Oklahoma State Question 798: Electing Governor and Lt. Governor on the same ballot

Oklahoma State Question 798 introduces the idea of electing governor and lieutenant governor on a single-ticket, but leaves the details of how that it to be accomplished to some future legislature. While I've been critical of other state questions (e.g. 793) for putting too much detail in the state constitution, the process of electing officers ought to be set out clearly and concretely in a state constitution, something SQ 798 fails to do.

Oklahoma has always elected the two offices separately. The Lieutenant Governor, like the Vice President, has a constitutional role as President of the Senate, with the ability to cast a deciding vote in case of a tie. The framers of the Oklahoma Constitution, suspicious of concentrated power, created a large number of executive offices that would be directly elected by the people, rather than appointed and confirmed. Reforms in the 1970s cut that number somewhat (we no longer elect an Inspector of Mines, for example).

Here is the constitutional language that will be enacted if voters approve SQ 798. It is a new section under Article 6.

Section 3.1. Beginning with the General Election held in 2026 and in each General Election for Governor and Lieutenant Governor held thereafter, one vote shall be cast for the candidates for those positions of the same political party. The Legislature, by law, shall provide the procedure for the joint nomination and election of candidates for Governor and Lieutenant Governor.

Will the primary runner-up automatically become the lieutenant governor nominee?Will the gubernatorial nominee pick his running mate, or will the running mate be chosen by a party executive committee? Or perhaps primary voters will choose the governor and lieutenant governor nominees independently, but they'll appear together on the general election ballot.

The current arrangement has its hazards. We have had, on occasion, a governor and lieutenant governor of opposite parties and the potential for mischief when the governor is out of state and the lieutenant governor becomes acting governor. For example, from 2003-2007, Democrat Governor Brad Henry served alongside Republican Lt. Governor Mary Fallin. Of the four Republican governors in Oklahoma history, only Keating and Fallin have had Republicans serving as Lieutenant Governor. Gov. Henry Bellmon served alongside Leo Winters in the 1960s and Robert S. Kerr III in the 1980s, and longtime Lt. Governor George Nigh served alongside Dewey Bartlett's single term in office.

SQ 798 was placed on the ballot by HJR 1019, which was approved by a vote of 34-9 in the State Senate and 68-22 in the State House.

While I'm open to the idea of having the top two offices run as a ticket, the process needs to be nailed down before we add it to the constitution. I'm voting NO on SQ 798.