HB 2106: Administration of elections; scheduling; permissible dates; effective date. - Oklahoma

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 4 edits

MODERATE

This bill was amended between the House and Senate versions to change how and when special elections can be held in Oklahoma. The Senate version expands the dates the Governor can call special elections, clarifies filing deadlines for candidates, and adjusts the effective date of the law. These changes affect when elections can occur and how candidates must prepare to run for office.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include additional dates for special elections and clarified the timeline for candidate filing periods, particularly for vacancy elections.

TIMELINE

The dates the Governor can call special elections were modified to include more options, such as adding the second Tuesday of December in odd-numbered years and adjusting other dates for special elections.

The effective date of the bill was changed from November 1, 2025 to January 1, 2026 for certain provisions, allowing more time for implementation.

REQUIREMENT

Candidate filing periods for special elections were clarified to begin no later than ten days after the resolution deadline, with specific rules for vacancy elections requiring a three-day filing period.

A new provision was added limiting municipalities with populations over 250,000 to hold elections on the second Tuesday of December in odd-numbered years.

HB2106 (5-06-25) (PAXTON) FA1.PDF → Floor (House) · 5 edits

MODERATE

This bill amends Oklahoma election law to update statutory references and clarify when local elections can be held. It adds specific dates for regular and special elections in various political subdivisions, including municipalities, school districts, and counties. The changes also establish deadlines for filing election resolutions and candidate filing periods.

Scope change

The bill expands the scope of election date regulations to include technology center school districts and fire protection districts, and adds specific date options for special elections called by the Governor.

REQUIREMENT

Added specific dates for regular and special elections in counties, school districts, municipalities, and other political subdivisions

Established a 75-day deadline for filing election resolutions when local elections coincide with federal or state elections

Set a 20-day deadline for candidate filing periods in special elections for filling vacancies

TIMELINE

Added specific dates for Governor-called special elections including January, March, May, July, September, October, and December

TECHNICAL

Updated statutory references to align with current Oklahoma Statutes and corrected language inconsistencies

Senate Committee Substitute for House Bill → HB2106 (5-06-25) (PAXTON) FA1.PDF · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to correct date references and clarify election scheduling rules. The Senate chamber amendment modifies specific language regarding when special elections can be held, particularly changing references to odd-numbered years and adding restrictions on how frequently elections can occur in December.

Scope change

The amendment narrows the scope of when special elections may be scheduled by the Governor and clarifies frequency limitations for December elections.

TIMELINE

Changed date references from 'an odd-numbered year' to remove 'an' and from 'odd-numbered years' to remove 'odd-numbered' in certain subsections.

Added the word 'any' after 'even-numbered' in the year reference for regular election dates.

REQUIREMENT

Added new language limiting December elections to begin in December 2026 and occur no more than every four years thereafter.

House Committee Substitute → Senate Committee Substitute for House Bill · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to change its title from 'Committee Substitute' to 'Engrossed' and updated the list of sponsors to include additional legislators. The substantive policy content regarding election scheduling dates and procedures remains largely unchanged, though some date references were reorganized for clarity. The effective date was adjusted from November 1, 2025 to January 1, 2026 for certain provisions.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on election scheduling for political subdivisions in Oklahoma, with no significant changes to applicability or eligibility criteria.

TECHNICAL

Bill title changed from 'Committee Substitute' to 'Engrossed' indicating it has passed both chambers.

Additional sponsors (Kerbs, Hays, West, Tammy, Manger, Paxton) were added to the bill author list.

Some date references in election scheduling subsections were reorganized and renumbered for clarity, though the actual permitted election dates remain the same.

TIMELINE

Effective date for certain provisions changed from November 1, 2025 to January 1, 2026.

Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 → House Committee Substitute · 3 edits

MINOR

The bill was amended to remove the 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute' designation and update the bill's tracking number and dates. The core policy content regarding election scheduling dates remains unchanged, with only formatting and administrative details modified.

TECHNICAL

Removed 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute' title and updated bill tracking numbers from Req. No. 12604 to Req. No. 13156.

Updated bill dates from 2/13/2025 to 3/4/2025 to reflect committee amendment processing timeline.

Adjusted line numbering and formatting throughout the document to conform to House Committee Substitute standards.

Engrossed → Proposed Policy Committee Substitute 1 · 2 edits

MINOR

The bill was completely rewritten by the Policy Committee Substitute, replacing the original text with new language that modifies election scheduling rules for political subdivisions in Oklahoma. The substantive policy content appears largely similar to the original, but the formatting, section numbering, and page references were significantly altered during the committee amendment process.

Scope change

No substantive change to the bill's scope or applicability; the Policy Committee Substitute maintains the same election date restrictions and requirements as the original Engrossed version.

TECHNICAL

The entire bill text was replaced with a new version labeled 'Proposed Policy Committee Substitute' that includes updated formatting, page numbers, and reference numbers (e.g., Req. No. 12604 instead of ENGR. H. B. NO. 2106).

Section headers and numbering were reorganized, with the title changed from 'ENGROSSED HOUSE BILL' to 'PROPOSED POLICY COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE' and page references updated throughout the document.

Introduced → Engrossed · 4 edits · Mar 24, 2025

MODERATE

HB 2106 was amended to expand the list of sponsors and update the bill status from 'Introduced' to 'Engrossed'. The substantive content regarding election dates and procedures remains largely unchanged, though some date references were reorganized and clarified for consistency.

Scope change

The bill's scope remains focused on establishing election dates for various political subdivisions in Oklahoma, with no significant changes to applicability or eligibility criteria.

TECHNICAL

Bill sponsors were added to include Kerbs, Hays, West (Tammy), and Manger of the House, and Paxton of the Senate.

The bill status was updated from 'Introduced' to 'Engrossed', indicating it has passed both legislative chambers.

Formatting and page numbering were updated to reflect the engrossed version with proper legislative signatures and dates.

REQUIREMENT

Election date language was reorganized and clarified, particularly for special elections and odd-numbered year elections, though the core dates remain the same.

Administration of elections; scheduling; permissible dates; effective date.

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