Republican state senators expressed their disappointment that Senate Democrats voted along party lines to kill a bill designed to stamp out election fraud by requiring voters to show a form of identification at the polls.Senate Bill 1150 received 24 votes in favor, and 23 votes opposed, but 25 votes were required to pass the bill and send it to the governor’s desk.
The leader of Democrats in the Oklahoma State Senate – President Pro Tem Mike Morgan of Stillwater – skipped the vote despite being on the floor moments earlier and voting for a procedural motion that brought SB 1150 to a final vote.
By skipping the vote, Morgan prevented a tie that could have required Lt. Gov. Jari Askins to break the tie.
The bill’s author, Sen. John Ford, R-Bartlesville, said, “I am very disappointed that this bill failed, especially that it was defeated by Democrats on a partisan, party-line vote. Oklahoma citizens – both Democrats and Republicans – want to be assured that our elections are fair. SB 1150 helped ensure fairness, and would not have disenfranchised any group or individual. I will keep fighting for voter ID and voter integrity in Oklahoma,” he stated.
“Judging by their blatant display of partisanship today, Senate Democrats seem intent on turning the State Senate back into the Legislature’s graveyard for good legislation. That’s not good for the Senate or for the people of Oklahoma,” said Senate Co-President Pro Tempore Glenn Coffee, R-Oklahoma City.
Ford can bring the bill back up for a reconsideration of the vote within three legislative days.
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