Oklahoma ballot measure · November 3, 2026
Oklahoma State Question 845, explained
Changes to the Judicial Nominating Commission. A ballot measure is a yes-or-no question put directly to voters — no candidate is involved, and the wording on the ballot is the wording that becomes law. This page shows that wording first, then what it actually changes.
The official wordingWhat appears on the ballot. Everything below explains it.
This measure amends article 7-B, section 3 of the Oklahoma Constitution, changing the Judicial Nominating Commission's structure. Currently appointments are based on congressional districts as constituted in 1967. If approved, appointments to the fifteen-member Commission will be as follows: 1) Governor appoints six members, including one from each congressional district as of the time of their appointment; 2) the Oklahoma Bar Association appoints six members, including one from each congressional district as of the date of selection; and 3) no less than eight members select three at-large members. The measure will permit any number of the commissioners to be licensed attorneys in Oklahoma or another state. The prohibition against immediate family members from practicing law will be removed. The measure changes terms so that non-at-large commissioners would serve a two-year term, and all other commissioners would serve a six-year term. Additionally, it removes restrictions on political party membership for members appointed by the Governor and at-large members. The measure also permits a commissioner to succeed himself or herself. Vacancies will be filled in the same manner as a commissioner is appointed or selected for the remainder of the relevant term. This measure will not have a fiscal impact. Shall the proposal be approved? For the proposal – YES Against the proposal – NO
What it actually means
When a seat opens on Oklahoma's appellate courts, or on a district bench between elections, a 15-member Judicial Nominating Commission screens applicants and sends the governor three names to choose from. Voters created the commission in 1967 after a bribery scandal at the Oklahoma Supreme Court, and built in three limits: most members cannot be lawyers or have lawyers in the family, no more than three of the governor's six appointees may come from one party, and members cannot serve back-to-back terms. This amendment removes all three limits and updates the geographic rule from the 1967 congressional map to the current one.
If you vote YES
- The six members the governor appoints and the three at-large members could be licensed attorneys, in Oklahoma or any other state, and could have immediate family members who practise law.
- The party-balance rules would go: the cap of three of the governor's six appointees from one party, and of two of three at-large members from one party, would both be removed. The Attorney General's own preliminary title said this permits "up to nine of the fifteen commissioners to be from one party."
- Commissioners could succeed themselves, serving up to 12 consecutive years instead of one term at a time.
- Appointments would be drawn from congressional districts as they exist when the appointment is made, rather than the six districts that existed in 1967 — Oklahoma now has five.
- Non-at-large commissioners would serve six-year terms and at-large commissioners two-year terms. The changes would apply to each seat as it expires or falls vacant, not all at once.
- The Attorney General's ballot title states the measure has no fiscal impact.
If you vote NO
- The commission keeps the structure voters set in 1967 and amended in 2010: six gubernatorial appointees who may not be lawyers or have lawyers in the immediate family, six lawyers elected by the Oklahoma Bar Association, and three at-large members chosen by the Speaker, the Senate President Pro Tempore and the commission itself.
- No more than three of the governor's six appointees, and no more than two of the three at-large members, could belong to the same political party.
- Commissioners would continue to be barred from serving consecutive terms.
- Appointments would continue to be made by reference to the six congressional districts as they were drawn in 1967, a map that no longer matches the state's five current districts.
The numbers that matter
- Fiscal impact
- None
- Commission size
- 15 members
- Maximum consecutive service
- 12 years
- Senate vote to refer
- 35 ayes, 8 nays
Attorney General's Final Ballot Title, certified by the Secretary of State
Article VII-B, Section 3, Oklahoma Constitution; unchanged by the measure
Text of House Joint Resolution 1024 as enrolled
Oklahoma Senate floor vote, April 2026, as reported by KOSU
What each side says2 for, 2 against — quoted, not summarised
Why supporters say YES
"This will allow experienced commissioners to serve longer and bring continuity to the selection process."
— State Sen. Todd Gollihare (R-12), the measure's principal Senate author
Judges can overturn legislation and executive action, so the party holding legislative supermajorities should have more influence over who is nominated: "In the supermajority state … The third branch having that influence, that is not really equitable for the majority party."
— State Sen. Todd Gollihare (R-Bristow), presenting the measure on the Senate floor
Why opponents say NO
The changes "will likely make the JNC more partisan, leading to a potentially more polarized court system"; removing the restrictions on attorneys and their families "could open the door for conflicts of interest"; and "the current safeguards exist to prevent judicial corruption, which has happened before in Oklahoma."
— Oklahoma Policy Institute, SQ 845 fact sheet, setting out the case against
Democrats, who as the minority have no appointment power on the commission, say the amendment is part of an attempt by Republicans to consolidate control across all three branches of government.
— Oklahoma Senate Democrats, as reported by KOSU and KGOU
What's genuinely uncertain
- No committee had registered to support or oppose SQ 845 as of July 31, 2026, so there is no organised campaign on either side and no campaign finance record.
- The Oklahoma Bar Association, whose members elect six of the fifteen commissioners, has published explanatory material on how the commission works but we could not locate a formal position for or against the measure.
- How far the commission's composition would actually shift is unknown: the changes apply as seats expire or fall vacant, so the effect would phase in over years rather than at once.
- Both the Attorney General's preliminary title and his final title describe the same measure, but only the preliminary one spelled out that up to nine of the fifteen commissioners could come from one party; the final title, written after comments from both chambers, says only that party restrictions are removed.
The bottom line
Whether the screening panel between politics and the bench should keep the non-lawyer, party-balance and term limits voters added after a 1960s court bribery scandal, or shed them so the commission reflects the party that wins elections.
One neutral sentence describing the tradeoff — not a recommendation.
Sources (4)The numbers in the text above link here
- 1State Question 845, Legislative Referendum 379 — filing, Attorney General ballot titles and Secretary of State certification — sos.ok.gov
- 2State Question 845: Changes to Judicial Nominating Commission — Oklahoma Policy Institute — okpolicy.org
- 3Oklahoma Senate moves forward with state question on judicial reform — KOSU — kosu.org
- 4Oklahoma State Question 845, Changes to Judicial Nominating Commission Amendment (2026) — Ballotpedia — ballotpedia.org
Checking it against the official text
The Oklahoma State Election Board publishes the certified measures and, in most states, an official voter guide with fiscal notes. That is the authoritative version. Everything here is an explanation of it, not a substitute for it.
Confirm this with the official source
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Oklahoma State Election Board.
Other measures on the Oklahoma ballot
Candidates on the same ballot
- U.S. Senate election in Oklahoma
- Oklahoma governor's race
- Oklahoma's 1st congressional district
- Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district
- Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district
- Oklahoma's 4th congressional district
- Oklahoma's 5th congressional district