Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Oklahoma Legislature, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
1 STATE OF OKLAHOMA
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2 1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)
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3 SENATE BILL 536 By: Howard
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6 AS INTRODUCED
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7 An Act relating to county election boards; amending
7 26 O.S. 2021, Section 2-117, which relates to
8 secretary's duties and assistant secretary; requiring
8 certain notice from county election board to
9 Secretary of the State Election Board; providing for
9 execution of duties under certain circumstances;
10 authorizing certain actions by assistant secretary
10 under specified circumstances; and providing an
11 effective date.
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14 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:
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15 SECTION 1. AMENDATORY 26 O.S. 2021, Section 2-117, is
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16 amended to read as follows:
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17 Section 2-117. A. The secretary of the county election board
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18 shall be the administrative officer of the county election board and
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19 shall have general supervisory authority over all precinct officials
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20 and absentee voting board members within the county.
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21 B. The secretary shall employ an assistant secretary and such
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22 other employees as are necessary to perform the duties of the county
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23 election board. In the event a vacancy exists in the office of the
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24 secretary of the county election board, the Secretary of the State
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Req. No. 855 Page 1
1 Election Board shall have the authority to stand in the place of the
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2 secretary of the county election board for the purpose of employing
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3 necessary county election board personnel.
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4 C. The secretary of the county election board shall be charged
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5 with the operational responsibilities of the board, including, but
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6 not limited to:
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7 1. The supervision, defining job positions and
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8 responsibilities, and discharge of the employees of the county
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9 election board;
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10 2. The preparation of the annual budget;
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11 3. The preparation and filing of all reports; and
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12 4. The implementation of policy, findings, and actions required
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13 by law or lawfully prescribed or determined by the county election
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14 board.
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15 D. The minimum salary of the assistant secretary shall be equal
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16 to ninety percent (90%) of the scheduled salary of the secretary in
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17 the same county, but shall not exceed the salary of the highest
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18 salaried first or chief deputy or assistant to any county officer,
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19 excluding the under sheriff, in the same county. Provided, the
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20 minimum salary may be prorated if a county election board office is
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21 open to the public for fewer hours per day than the average of the
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22 regular public office hours of other county offices. The salary
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23 limitation contained in this section shall not operate to reduce the
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Req. No. 855 Page 2
1 salary of any person employed as an assistant secretary or chief
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2 clerk on October 31, 2019.
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3 E. Salaries of additional personnel, including personnel
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4 employed temporarily, shall not exceed the salary of the assistant
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5 secretary and shall be comparable to salaries paid for the same
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6 positions in other offices within the county.
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7 F. The salaries of the assistant secretary and other personnel
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8 shall be paid from county funds on a monthly basis. In the event
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9 that the secretary, assistant secretary or any other essential
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10 county election board employee must be away from work for a period
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11 of time due to personal illness, family illness, or family
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12 emergency, the county shall be required to fund compensation of
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13 appropriate temporary personnel during the employee's absence.
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14 G. 1. The secretary of the county election board shall notify
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15 the Secretary of the State Election Board of the person employed
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16 pursuant to subsection B of this section as the assistant secretary
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17 of the county election board. The assistant secretary shall be
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18 subject to the direction of the secretary of the county election
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19 board.
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20 2. The assistant secretary shall execute the duties of the
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21 secretary during the absence of the secretary due to illness,
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22 disqualification, recusal, or any other reason approved in writing
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23 by the Secretary of the State Election Board.
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Req. No. 855 Page 3
1 3. In the event of a vacancy in the office of the secretary of
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2 the county election board due to the death, removal, or resignation
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3 of the secretary, the assistant secretary shall execute the duties
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4 of the secretary until a successor is appointed as prescribed by
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5 law.
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6 4. In the event of an absence or vacancy described in this
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7 subsection, the assistant secretary may stand in the place of the
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8 secretary of the county election board as a voting member of the
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9 county election board at public meetings of the board with the
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10 written authority of the Secretary of the State Election Board.
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11 SECTION 2. This act shall become effective November 1, 2025.
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13 60-1-855 TEK 1/19/2025 5:38:13 AM
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Req. No. 855 Page 4Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.