An overwhelming majority of June 26 primary election voters approved the tweak to Tulsa’s city charter, changing the timing of municipal elections to coincide with state and federal election dates. This timing change takes effect this year.
Eighty-six percent of primary voters approved the charter change that will correct a costly error in a proposal voters adopted in November 2011.
Last November, a charter change provision was approved by the voters that would make Tulsa municipal elections non-partisan and change the timing of those elections to coincide with the state and federal election calendar. The ballot proposal was wrongly worded and, if allowed to take effect as written, would require the city to hire an outside election firm to run our municipal elections because the primary date specified in the ballot language contradicted state law. The new charter change proposal adopted on June 26 corrects that error.