Committee moves bill to require completed party field on voter-registration forms; members worry about disenfranchisement
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Summary
House Bill 37 22 was reported out 15-3 after a lengthy Q&A about whether requiring a completed party-affiliation field would unintentionally disenfranchise voters whose applications are returned or misdelivered; the State Election Board agreed to provide data on how often the state defaults incomplete applications to 'independent.'
The Government Oversight Committee voted 15-3 to report House Bill 37 22, which would require applicants to complete the party-affiliation field on voter-registration applications rather than allowing the state to default an incomplete form to 'independent' (no party).
Sponsor Representative Crosswhite Hader said the change is intended to prevent the state from assuming a registrant's intent: "We don't want the state to be the default of choosing," the sponsor said, describing an anecdote in which a person who moved from another state had her form marked 'independent' and was frustrated.
Several members warned that returning incomplete forms could create cases where potential voters miss their mail or otherwise do not complete the process, potentially leaving them off the rolls. Representative Pogue Miller, Representative Fugate and Representative Munson sought clarity on whether the current application instructions already notify applicants that a blank party field will result in a default 'independent' registration; committee counsel and the sponsor pointed to language on the form and existing processes for returning incomplete applications.
Rachel Rogers, policy director for the State Election Board, told the committee she did not have the historical data on how often the state defaults incomplete applications but pledged to collect the information from all intake points — county boards, Service Oklahoma offices and mail-in applications — if the committee wants that analysis.
After agreeing to obtain usage data, the committee voted to report the bill 15-3. Members who voted no said they feared the bill could lead to inadvertent disenfranchisement if applicants fail to receive returned forms or miss a mailed notice.
What's next: The State Election Board will gather data on the frequency of defaulting incomplete applications to 'independent' and return that information as the bill advances toward the House floor.