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As conservatives focus on local school boards, Oklahoma lawmakers discuss moving elections

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As conservatives focus on local school boards, Oklahoma lawmakers discuss moving elections


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The deputy state director for the conservative political lobbying group Americans for Prosperity argued Tuesday for Oklahoma to move local school board elections to align with the election calendar for federal and state offices.

Bradley Ward, who once worked for the Legislative Office of Fiscal Transparency at the state Capitol, was the only presenter during a 30-minute-long interim study conducted by the House Election and Ethics Committee and led by Rep. Chris Banning, R-Bixby.

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Banning is a proponent of changing the dates of school board elections, saying doing so will increase voter turnout and save taxpayer money now being spent conducting separate elections. During the just-completed legislative session, multiple conservative groups, including AFP, put a focus on local elections such as school board races.

Critics of the idea say moving the elections could have the effect of injecting partisan politics into what are nonpartisan races.

Oklahoma law now mandates school board elections to be held in February (for primaries) and April (for the general election). Low turnout can be an issue, as evidenced by election results from April.

More: When does early voting start in Oklahoma? Key dates for 2024 presidential election

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Among the examples cited by Ward on Tuesday was a race for a seat on the board of Oklahoma City Public Schools, the state’s second-largest district, with about 33,000 students. In that race, 350 people cast ballots, with Jessica Cifuentes beating incumbent Cary Pirrong 233-117. A race for a seat on the Mid-Del Schools board drew 681 of a possible 16,679 voters, or 4%.

“Electing a school board member with just 2% of voter turnout is not conducive to the needs of one of the state’s largest school districts, as it undermines democratic representation and fails to capture the diverse perspectives of the community that the board ultimately serves,” Ward said.

Ward, citing Oklahoma State Election Board data, said about 6% of voters turned out for school board elections in April, compared to 11% in municipal elections in August, 17% in the presidential primary in March and 69% in the 2020 presidential general election.

Opinion: Compromises between students, parents, educators could address cellphone issues

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Ward said Oklahoma is one of 12 states to have mandated non-November school board elections. Thirteen other states mandate such elections in November of even-numbered years, which would align with election for federal elections. Among those are Michigan, which he used as an example during his presentation. Sixteen states mandate elections in November of odd-numbered years.

Using data from the Oklahoma Cost Accounting System, Ward said Oklahoma school districts spent about $16.9 million on board elections this year, money he said could be reallocated toward other education purposes if board elections are moved. That is assuming the state election board would assume the costs of having a local election item on the same ballot. A spokeswoman for the Oklahoma State Election Board didn’t immediately return a call seeking clarity on that question.

Two bills aiming to move Oklahoma school board election dates – one filed by Banning, the other by state Sen. Ally Seifried, R-Claremore – didn’t make it through the legislative process this year. Banning indicated he plans to file a similar bill for the 2025 session of the state Legislature.

Banning said his measure would have two nonpartisan goals: “It has no other meaning other than to increase voter turnout and save the schools millions, and we’ll also have an accurate representation of the community when those school board members are voted in.”

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Democrat on committee says push to move elections is about GOP ‘retaining power’

The lone Democrat at the meeting table Tuesday was Rep. Mickey Dollens, R-Oklahoma City. He told The Oklahoman afterward he understood Banning’s desire to save money on conducting elections, “but I think it’s more focused on retaining power, otherwise (they) would also advocate for municipal elections to be put on the general election ballot as well.”

Dollens said he likes the current system because partisan politics usually don’t come into play, given that school board elections are “hyper-localized.”

“In this current political environment, we’re already so polarized and divisive. It’s nice to have our municipal elections be separate,” he said.

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He suggested better civic education in schools – and perhaps a public messaging campaign on the importance of local elections – might be a solution to the issue of low turnout.

“Each district has its own nuances and its own special needs,” Dollens said. “For highly informed voters, or anyone for that matter, to research the candidates without having all of the other noise around a general election, I feel is a good thing.“



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Oklahoma City artist returns with Thunder-themed window art for NBA playoffs

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Oklahoma City artist returns with Thunder-themed window art for NBA playoffs


Melissa Griggs-Hendricks and her team are back to paint Thunder-inspired designs on windows across Oklahoma City, spreading excitement for the NBA playoffs

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Oklahoma City artist returns with Thunder-themed window art for NBA playoffs

Melissa Griggs-Hendricks and her team are back to paint Thunder-inspired designs on windows across Oklahoma City, spreading excitement for the NBA playoffs

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WELL, OKLAHOMA CITY, IT IS ALMOST TIME FOR THE NBA PLAYOFFS AND WE ARE READY TO THUNDER UP. I’LL TELL YOU WHAT, OUR CITY SURE KNOWS HOW TO SHOW UP AND SHOW OUT. FROM WATCH PARTIES TO HOUSE DECORATIONS, OKC HAS GOT IT GOING ON AND THAT INCLUDES A LOCAL PAINTER. YOU MIGHT REMEMBER FROM LAST SEASON. OUR KOCO EVAN ONSTOT JOINING US LIVE IN THE NEWSROOM. WE HAVE THIS IN OUR NEWSROOM. EVAN, WE’RE ABOUT TO SEE BLUE AND ORANGE ALL OVER OKC. RIGHT. AND A LOT OF IT IS GOING TO BE THANKS TO ARTIST MELISSA GRIGGS HENDRICKS. WE WATCHED MELISSA AND HER TEAM CREATE THUNDER MAGIC ALL OVER OKLAHOMA LAST YEAR, AND NOW SHE IS BACK. AND MAYBE EVEN BETTER THAN BEFORE. MELISSA AND HER ASSISTANT CANDACE PAINT THUNDER IMAGES ON WINDOWS. ABBY, YOU MENTIONED WE HAD ONE RIGHT HERE IN THE KOCO NEWSROOM. AND SO THIS YEAR, THESE LADIES ARE BACK TO SPREAD SOME THUNDER EXCITEMENT. THEY SAY THEY’VE GOT EVEN MORE DESIGNS THIS YEAR AND THEY BELIEVE THEY CAN DOUBLE THE ART THIS SEASON. THEY JUST CAN’T WAIT FOR THE PLAYOFFS TO START. LAST YEAR FOR THE PLAYOFFS, WITHIN A TWO AND A HALF MONTH SPAN, WE PAINTED 157 LOCATIONS. SOME OF THOSE WERE HUGE AND SOME WERE SMALL. AS ONE WINDOW, WE HAVE A GUESS OF ABOUT 25 GALLONS. WE MAY HAVE MISSED A FEW. IT DOESN’T TAKE A TON OF PAPER FOR DESIGN TYPICALLY, BUT YEAH, ABOUT 25 GALLONS LAST YEAR. THIS YEAR I THINK WE’RE GOING TO DO A WHOLE LOT MORE. IT FEELS AMAZING TO BE BACK. I’M SO EXCITED. WE JUST HAD SUCH A GREAT TIME LAST YEAR AND I’VE REALLY MISSED THIS COMMUNITY OF JUST GETTING TO SEE EVERYBODY AND JUST BE A HUGE PART OF ALL THE EXCITEMENT FOR THE PLAYOFFS. YEAH, THEY DO INCREDIBLE WORK. NOW. MELISSA SAYS THAT IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN HAVING ANY OF YOUR WINDOWS PAINTED, YOU JUST GOT TO CONTACT HER THROUGH EMAIL. WE’RE GOING TO POST A

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Oklahoma City artist returns with Thunder-themed window art for NBA playoffs

Melissa Griggs-Hendricks and her team are back to paint Thunder-inspired designs on windows across Oklahoma City, spreading excitement for the NBA playoffs

Updated: 7:52 PM CDT Apr 10, 2026

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Oklahoma City is preparing for the NBA playoffs, and artist Melissa Griggs-Hendricks is bringing Thunder spirit to life with her signature window art. >> Download the KOCO 5 app | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channel | Sign up for KOCO 5’s Morning NewsletterGriggs-Hendricks, along with her assistant Candace, is painting Thunder-themed images on windows throughout the city, including one at the KOCO newsroom. “Last year for the playoffs, within a two-and-a-half-month span, we painted 157 locations. Some of those were huge and some were small as one window,” Griggs-Hendricks said. “We have a guess of about 25 gallons. We may have missed it. It doesn’t take a ton of paint for a design. Typically, they get about 25 this year. I think we’re going to do a whole lot more.” She expressed her enthusiasm for returning this season. “It feels amazing to be back. I’m so excited. We just had such a great time last year, and I really miss this community of just getting to see everybody and just be a huge part of all the excitement for the playoffs,” Griggs-Hendricks said. Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.Griggs-Hendricks and her team say they have even more designs planned this year and believe they can double their output from last season. Top HeadlinesWoman dies after being hit by a train in Pauls Valley, OHP saysOut-of-this-world playlist: Here’s what the Artemis II astronauts have been listening in spaceOHP releases details of deadly crash involving Oklahoma State softball team’s busRollover crash involving multiple vehicles causes significant traffic on SB I-35 near GoldsbyPennsylvania woman’s Ring camera captures machete-wielding neighbor

Oklahoma City is preparing for the NBA playoffs, and artist Melissa Griggs-Hendricks is bringing Thunder spirit to life with her signature window art.

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>> Download the KOCO 5 app | Subscribe to KOCO 5’s YouTube channel | Sign up for KOCO 5’s Morning Newsletter

Griggs-Hendricks, along with her assistant Candace, is painting Thunder-themed images on windows throughout the city, including one at the KOCO newsroom.

“Last year for the playoffs, within a two-and-a-half-month span, we painted 157 locations. Some of those were huge and some were small as one window,” Griggs-Hendricks said. “We have a guess of about 25 gallons. We may have missed it. It doesn’t take a ton of paint for a design. Typically, they get about 25 this year. I think we’re going to do a whole lot more.”

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She expressed her enthusiasm for returning this season.

“It feels amazing to be back. I’m so excited. We just had such a great time last year, and I really miss this community of just getting to see everybody and just be a huge part of all the excitement for the playoffs,” Griggs-Hendricks said.

Get the latest news stories of interest by clicking here.

Griggs-Hendricks and her team say they have even more designs planned this year and believe they can double their output from last season.


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Oklahoma City man claiming to be financial investor charged with fraud

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Oklahoma City man claiming to be financial investor charged with fraud


A federal grand jury has charged an Oklahoma City man with dozens of counts of wire fraud, money laundering, and aggravated identity theft.

From June 2021 through December 2025, officials say 36-year-old Matthew Mclain Veazey presented himself as a successful financial investment professional. Public records indicate that Veazey encouraged friend and family to send him money by claiming he had special access to favorable investment opportunities due to his connections.

However, authorities say Veazey kept the money for himself and used it for personal expenses.

Court records allege that investors gave Veazey $2.38 million, but those funds were never repaid. Authorities say Veazey fabricated text messages and email communications from real people to convince victims that his investment activities were real.

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This week, a federal grand jury returned a 30-count indictment charging Veazey with 21 counts of wire fraud, five counts of money laundering, and four counts of aggravated identity theft.

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If convicted, Veazey faces up to 20 years in federal prison and fines up to $250,000 for each count of wire fraud, up to 10 years in federal prison and fines up to $250,000 for each count of money laundering.



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PORTAL TARGET BREAKDOWN: Oklahoma State guard Amari Whiting

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PORTAL TARGET BREAKDOWN: Oklahoma State guard Amari Whiting


Portal season is just getting underway. The Iowa Women’s Basketball team suffered five losses to the transfer portal, leaving them, at this moment, with six players on next year’s roster, including just two guards. For the first time since the portal became commonplace in college sports, the Hawkeyes, led by head coach Jan Jensen are […]



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