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Our call — vote NO
The measure
State Question 845 is a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on Oklahoma's November 3, 2026 ballot. It restructures the Judicial Nominating Commission, the 15-member body that screens candidates for Oklahoma appellate judgeships. District-based seats would be tied to Oklahoma's congressional districts as they exist at the time of appointment or selection, instead of the districts frozen in 1967. Commissioners could succeed themselves and serve up to 12 consecutive years. The amendment removes the party caps on the governor's appointees and at-large selections (currently no more than three of the governor's six, and two of six at-large members, may share a party) and removes the prohibitions on licensed attorneys — and on members whose immediate family are attorneys — holding the governor-appointed and at-large seats.
What YES does
A yes vote modernizes the commission's district map, allows longer commissioner service, and drops the party-balance and attorney restrictions on most seats.
What NO does
A no vote keeps the 1967 district framework and the existing party and attorney rules.
The math
The official ballot title states: "This measure will not have a fiscal impact."
OUR CALL
Our call: no call.
Using living congressional districts instead of a 1967 map is plain good housekeeping, and the party caps and attorney bans cut in both directions — they can force balance or exclude the qualified, depending on one's view of judicial selection. This is a procedural redesign of a nominating body; it raises no tax, debt, rights, or election-integrity question our rubric settles. We print the facts and make no call.
For the complete Election 2026 breakdown — every race, claim by claim — see the full coverage on our website.
Vote early. Research your candidates. Choose the best moderates, whatever their party — no extremism from either side. And encourage your friends and family to do the same.
Sources
- Ballotpedia — Oklahoma State Question 845 measure page (accessed October 25, 2026)
- Ballotpedia — 2026 ballot measures — https://ballotpedia.org/2026_ballot_measures
Result pending. No verified call (Associated Press or official) as of November 4, 2026. This page will be updated when the race is called or certified. The original article above is unchanged.
AI-assisted article — but the sources are human, and the facts are very real.