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Most home rule charter municipalities in our state, including Oklahoma City and Tulsa , have a recall procedure by which citizens may remove a city elected official.
Nineteen states, including our neighbors in Kansas , Louisiana , and Colorado , have a method to recall a statewide elected official.
But while some city charters give voters the power to hold municipal officials accountable through the recall process, Oklahoma law contains no provisions that allows voters to attempt to remove state and county elected officials before their term ends.
It’s time for this to change.
McCurtain County Sheriff Kevin Clardy was recorded making comments about lynching Black people and killing journalists in March 2023. While he was defeated for reelection in the primary in June, Clardy is still in office through the end of the year. With no legal means to remove him , McCurtain County residents continue to be stuck with Clardy as their top law enforcement officer.