Oklahoma Politics, Volume 3 (October 1994)

Simpson, Phillip “The Modernization and Reform of the Oklahoma Judiciary”, pp. 1-14.

Between 1964 and 1970 trauma and fundamental change swept through Oklahoma judicial system.  In a state not known for its modernizing and reforming impulses, Oklahoma developed the outlines of a modern and effective judiciary.  The state court system that prevailed when the scandals of 1964 broke into the open is not at all the state court system we have today.  A political and historical analysis of that tumultuous period in Oklahoma judicial history will tell why court reform succeeded then when reform so often fails in Oklahoma.  This paper examines the early judiciary and its critique, the push for judicial reform, the Supreme Court scandal of the 1960s, and the eventual reform of the Oklahoma judiciary.

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Rausch, Jr., John David “Religion and Political Participation In Oklahoma City”, pp. 15-30.

This study investigates the rate of political participation among Protestant evangelicals and fundamentalists in Oklahoma City.  Using data collected by the 1991 Oklahoma City Survey (N=394), two competing hypotheses are tested.  One hypothesis proposes that Evangelical and Fundamentalist Protestant (EFPs) strongly favor otherworldly preparations over personal involvemet in political activities.  This is found not to be the case.  The competing hypothesis that the New Christian Right perceives a danger in the moral decay of American society and, therefore, participates more actively in politics also is found wanting.  Participation in religious activities was found to be the significant indicator of political activity.

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Farmer, Rick “David and Goliath: Media Effects in the 1990 Oklahoma State Treasurer’s Race”, pp. 31-44.

This study adds to the debate on media effects in political campaigns by examining the 1990 Oklahoma State Treasurer’s race.  Extensive interviews with participants in the race supported the hypothesis that Oklahoma City TV news had a significant effect on the outcome of the race.

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Nixon, David L., William M. Parle, and Harold V. Sare “State Managed Export Promotion in Oklahoma”, pp. 45-60.

State Governments have always played a role in economic development management, but their entry into direct export promotion is fairly recent.  Although state governments have increased their involvement in this area, little is known concerning the outcome of such efforts.  This study reports and analyzes the findings of a survey of Oklahoma firms that have received state based export assistance.

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Jewell, Malcolm E. “Sources of Support for Legislative Term Limitations in the States”, pp. 51-76.

In the election of 1990 and 1992 the voters in 15 states approved initiatives imposing term limits on the state legislatures, by margins ranging from 77 to 52 percent.  The purpose of this paper is to explain why the term limit initiatives passed and what factors may have caused variations among the states in the level of support.  Among the factors considered are the characteristics of the legislatures and the strictness of the proposed limitations, as well as several aspects of the campaigns: the sources of support from within or outside the state, sources of opposition, the role of media, and differences in opinion and voting patterns of various groups in the state.  The most important factor appears to have been how extensive an effort was made by opponents of term limitations.

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McCoy, Melanie, and Corie Delashaw “Tribal Elections: An Exploratory Study of the Chickasaw Nation”, pp. 77-90.

This is a preliminary study of the Chickasaw Nation’s tribal elections for the legislature and governor in 1990.  An important historical issue has been the controversy between the legislative branch and the executive branch over power within the nation.  The focus here is whether this controversy had a significant impact on modern tribal elections.

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