In The Know: State examines arrests for unpaid court fines, fees | ACLU condemns 'abusive' conditions at Oklahoma ICE facility in Watonga | Who should choose Oklahoma’s judges?

In The Know is your daily briefing on Oklahoma policy-related news. OK Policy encourages the support of Oklahoma's state and local media, which are vital to an informed citizenry.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 2026 Subscribe // View web version (current and archived) OK Policy is hiring: Join our team as our new Southeast Regional Organizer   Our Regional Organizer helps OK Policy plan and run community-based advocacy campaigns that support our policy goals. This role is part of Together Oklahoma, OK Policy's grassroots organizing arm, and works directly with communities and partner groups across the state. The Southeast Regional Organizer must live and work in the Southeast Region. Deadline to apply is Oct. 18. [Learn More & Apply] Join us for Voices in Action — Turning community conversations into statewide change   This summer, we hosted listening sessions in towns and cities across the state to provide an opportunity for the public to have conversations with our fellow Oklahomans about issues that matter most in their communities. This October, we’re coming back to share what we heard in those communities and statewide, and to discuss ways we can use our collective power to make a difference on those issues.  Register Now Upcoming Webinar: Youth Justice System 101 and Its Impact   Want to better understand how Oklahoma’s youth justice system works — and how it impacts young people, families, and communities?   Join us online Oct. 8 from 10:30 a.m. to noon for Youth Justice System 101 and Its Impact. The free webinar will provide an overview of Oklahoma’s youth justice system, followed by a panel discussion featuring experts who will share insights from a range of perspectives. Register Today 150%     Increase in fees for a sample misdemeanor DUI case in 2015 compared to 1992. That sample case carried 10 mandatory fees totaling $607 in 1992. By 2015, the same case carried 22 fees totaling $1,528, a 150% increase driven entirely by new and inflated fees, since the underlying $200 fine never moved. Because SQ 640 places significant barriers on raising new revenue in Oklahoma, state courts have created new fees or increased their costs to address funding issues for state courts. [Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform] From OK Policy: What is SQ 640? Two Roads to Extraction: How Oklahoma's Courts Fund Themselves From Criminal Defendants   Oklahoma's criminal courts do more than decide guilt and hand down sentences. Instead, they've become a revenue source for the very county governments and law enforcement agencies that prosecute, jail, and supervise the people who owe them money. A new report from Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform, Two Roads to Extraction, uses original county-level data to show exactly how this works, and why the burden falls hardest on rural Oklahomans who can least afford it. [Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform] “The incentive is structural, not personal. Counties with weaker tax bases lean harder on criminal legal system revenue, and that dependency tracks directly with more warrants, more enforcement and more incarceration.”   —Michael Olson, Policy Counsel for Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform Policy Counsel, noting that rural counties tend to assess more fines and fees for criminal cases than their urban counterparts. [Oklahoma Watch] What’s on the ballot for the November 3, 2026 elections in Oklahoma?   Oklahoma voters will head to the polls for a statewide general election on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Our election resource page covers SQ 845 and SQ 847, the federal and statewide races, judicial retention, key voting deadlines, and a link to your sample ballot. [OK Policy] Know what’s on your ballot before you vote: SQ 845 & SQ 847 Town Hall   The Nov. 3 general election is your chance to help shape Oklahoma’s future. Before you head to the polls, join the Oklahoma Policy Institute for a free, nonpartisan town hall that will explain the statewide ballot measures and answer your questions. [Learn More] RSVP for the Town Hall Oklahoma News   Who should choose Oklahoma’s judges? What SQ 845 would change: Who should choose Oklahoma's judges? It's a question at the center of a ballot initiative voters will see Nov. 3. For nearly 60 years, Oklahoma's Judicial Nominating Commission has helped determine who gets considered for some of the state's highest courts. [KOCO] From OK Policy: SQ 845 Fact Sheet | What’s on the ballot for the November 3, 2026 elections in Oklahoma? Register for OK Policy’s Oct. 20 town hall on SQ 845, SQ 847  Oklahoma Supreme Court strikes down property tax ballot initiative, SQ 843: The Oklahoma Supreme Court has blocked an attempt to gather signatures on a petition that, if approved by voters, would have phased out collection of some property taxes, which are among the biggest pools of funding available to public schools. [The Oklahoman] Proposed property tax elimination state question invalid, Oklahoma high court rules [Oklahoma Voice] Proposed state question on property taxes ruled unconstitutional [Tulsa World] ACLU condemns 'abusive' conditions at Oklahoma ICE facility in Watonga: The American Civil Liberties Union, alongside several immigration attorneys and advocacy groups, condemned "abusive and unlawful conditions" at the privately-owned Diamondback Correctional Facility in a joint letter sent to the Department of Homeland Security last week. [The Oklahoman] From OK Policy: CoreCivic profits from incarcerating our loved ones and exploiting rural towns Economics professor finds Inola smelter economic impact report "shiny" but lacking: Oklahoma Primary Aluminum, or OPA, recently published an economic impact report on an aluminum smelter proposed for Inola, a town just 30 miles from Tulsa. However, one Tulsa economics professor finds the report to be missing important data to paint a more comprehensive picture. [Public Radio Tulsa]   State Government News   State Examines Arrests For Unpaid Court Fines and Fees: Oklahoma’s district courts rely heavily on collections to cover basic operations, making blanket fine and fee waivers impractical, advocates and court officials said. But without adequate protections, advocates argue poor defendants can be prematurely presumed able to pay and face jail time when they fall behind. [Oklahoma Watch] From OK Policy: Eliminate justice-related fees and invest in Oklahoma’s justice system With election pressure mounting, states move to suspend fuel taxes: With Election Day less than a month away, lawmakers in several states are suspending gas taxes or rolling back regulations on diesel fuel as voters grow increasingly frustrated with rising fuel costs amid President Donald Trump’s war with Iran. [Oklahoma Voice]   Corporation Commission conducted nuclear energy feasibility study: Last year the state Legislature passed Senate Bill 130, which required the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to conduct a Nuclear Energy Feasibility Study assessing the feasibility of establishing nuclear energy generation in Oklahoma. [Southwest Ledger]   Oklahoma emergency management director becomes latest leader to resign: The Oklahoma Emergency Management director has resigned from her post, becoming the latest appointee of Gov. Kevin Stitt to exit before his term expires. Annie Mack Vest has overseen the state's response to devastating tornadoes and unprecedented wildfires in recent years. She started in 2023 and will leave the agency Oct. 30. [The Oklahoman]   ‘A good man’: Former Sen. Tom Dugger dies at 77: Former Sen. Tom Dugger, who took a keen interest in Oklahoma’s finances during his eight years in the State Senate, died Monday after a years-long fight with Parkinson’s disease. He was 77 years old. [NonDoc]   Tribal Nations News   Is land back a feasible reality? A new report asks Indigenous people what they think: A recently published report examines how Indigenous people think about land back and whether it is possible in their lifetimes. It turns out millennial Republicans have the most optimism around land back. [KOSU]   Osage Nation Congress appropriates funds needed to reopen private school: On the final day of its regular fall session, the Osage Nation Congress unanimously approved a bill that would provide funding for two tribal programs that abruptly closed in early August. [Tulsa World] ON Congress unanimously approves $4M to fund Daposka Ahnkodapi, visitor centers [Osage News] Bill passes requiring Osage Nation Congress approval of data centers [Osage News] Osage Nation Congress moves to assert authority over data center projects [Tulsa World]  Voting and Election News   Unusually high number of Oklahoma House incumbents face November reelection challenges: Dozens of incumbent Oklahoma lawmakers are facing challengers in November due in part to a push by Democrats to recruit more candidates and growing frustration with legislative actions. Experts say the unusually high number of contested legislative races could fuel voter turnout, but is unlikely to result in Republicans losing control of the lower chamber. [Oklahoma Voice]   Election Roundup Oklahoma gubernatorial candidate Cyndi Munson speaks with Oklahoma State University students [KOSU] ‘If it’s safe, why waste time?’: What Trump’s Durant rally may mean for Mazzei [OU Daily] HD 96: Rep. Preston Stinson, Ashtyn Smith advocate on health care, education issues [NonDoc] Opinion: Check Oklahoma voter registration now before Oct. 9 deadline: For more than a year, I have been concerned about recurring problems involving Oklahoma’s voter registration system. I have heard and seen reports of registration applications being rejected, voter records appearing in the portal but being marked ineligible, and citizenship or identification information being questioned. [Brandy Torres-DeMark / The Oklahoman]   Education News   Tulsans want more details on TPS school closure plan. Here’s what we know.: It’s been a multi-week sprint for Tulsa Public Schools to inform the public — and get them on board — with its budget reduction plan. Students, staff and board members are still asking for the finer details. [Tulsa Flyer] TPS setting up transition supports in advance of potential closures [Tulsa World] Opinion: Oklahoma high school activities thrive because OSSAA works: Oklahoma high school-based activities and competition work because there is a very intentional system behind them — one that has been built piece by piece by Oklahoma schools for more than a century. The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) is not perfect, but as it continues to improve and modernize, Oklahoma should also recognize that much of what they do is already working. [Dennis Case / The Oklahoman]   Justice System News   Supreme Court action allows lawsuit to proceed against Betty Shelby: A federal civil rights lawsuit filed against former Tulsa Police Officer Betty Shelby can proceed after the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up her appeal of a lower court’s decision denying her qualified immunity. Shelby shot and killed Terence Crutcher on Sept. 16, 2016, during a stop to investigate a running vehicle left unattended in the roadway. [Tulsa World]   Judge tosses drug evidence obtained with help of Flock Safety cameras: A Missouri woman is free on bond after a federal judge tossed drug evidence obtained during a traffic stop, in part, after determining the arresting officer’s use of an automated license plate reader database was unconstitutional. [Tulsa World]   Oklahoma prison restricts outside books in effort to limit contraband: Inmates at the Mack Alford Correctional Center near Stringtown can no longer acquire outside books. On Sept. 29, the prison’s warden sent an internal memo to inmates stating the restrictions are effective immediately. It prevents books from being purchased by or gifted to incarcerated people, including any religious books not acquired through the facility chaplain. The memo did not explain the reasons behind the ban. [KOSU]   Oklahoma County DA's chief investigator resigns, faces OSBI probe: The chief investigator for Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna has resigned, two weeks after a Moore police officer accused him of sending her inappropriate texts and stalking her. [The Oklahoman]   Economy & Business News   Leaders celebrate $52.5 billion annual impact of aerospace and defense on Oklahoma: Oklahoma’s aerospace and defense industry generates $52.5 billion in annual economic activity and supports more than 250,000 jobs, according to a new study released Tuesday by the Oklahoma Department of Aerospace and Aeronautics. [Tulsa World]   Local Headlines Oklahoma City data center campus invests in off-grid power plant [KGOU] Norman city council hears presentation outlining potential parking, zoning changes [OU Daily] Support Our Work with a Donation In The Know is your daily briefing on Oklahoma policy-related news. Inclusion of a story does not necessarily mean endorsement by the Oklahoma Policy Institute. Some stories included here are behind paywall or require subscription. OK Policy encourages the support of Oklahoma’s state and local media, which are vital to an informed citizenry. You can sign up here to receive In The Know by e-mail. Contact Oklahoma Policy Institute 907 S. Detroit Ave #1005 Tulsa, OK 74120 United States  918-794-3944 | info@okpolicy.org okpolicy.org    Connect with us:   If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive emails from us, please unsubscribe.