Voting advocate signs Open Government Pledge ahead of Oklahoma City Council elections
The lead developer of a website sharing Oklahomans’ voting frequency has pledged that he and the Oklahoma City Council will comply with the letter and spirit of the state’s open government laws if he is elected to the Ward 2 seat in the spring.
In signing FOI Oklahoma’s Open Government Pledge for local candidates, David Glover also promised “to support at every opportunity” the state’s public policy that “the people are vested with the inherent right to know and be fully informed about their government so that they can efficiently and intelligently exercise their inherent political power.”
The filing period for Oklahoma City Council candidates for Wards 2, 5, 6 and 8 will be in early 2019. The primary will be Feb. 12. If needed, the general election would be April 2.
Ward 2 incumbent Ed Shadid has said he will not seek a third four-year term. Council members receive an annual salary of $12,000.
In 2014, Glover helped develop BadVoter.org. The website is intended to encourage Oklahomans to vote more frequently by publicly sharing the date each person last voted, according to a Red Dirt Report article.
The website also includes links to help Oklahomans register to vote, check their registration, file for an absentee ballot and get reminders to vote.
Glover also is a longtime active member of the Democratic Party, according to the Oklahoma City Free Press.
FOI Oklahoma invites all candidates for state, local and legislative seats to sign the pledge on FOI Oklahoma’s website, where a list of signers also can be found.
Since FOI Oklahoma began the pledge in 2008, 186 candidates have signed — with 95, or 51 percent —being elected at least once. FOI Oklahoma began the Open Government Pledge as part of a national effort to spur public commitments to government transparency from candidates for president down to city council contests.
Joey Senat, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
OSU School of Media & Strategic Communications
Mass Communication Law in Oklahoma
The opinions expressed in this blog are those of the commentators and do not necessarily represent the position of FOI Oklahoma Inc., its staff, its board of directors or the commentator’s employer. Differing interpretations of open government law and policy are welcome.