STATE COMMITTEE MEETING – July 8, 2023
by Citizen Truth
In the past I’ve heard it said that Oklahoma is the reddest state in the union. Perhaps we believed it meant our state had fair elections and conservative grassroots leadership. The State Committee Meeting held Saturday, July 8 in Oklahoma City, cast doubt on that analysis.
There were 180 credentialed delegates and numerous guests in attendance. The established quorum, which is the number which must be present for a valid transaction of business according to current Oklahoma State Party Rules, is 100. (Rule 19b “A quorum of the State Committee shall be one hundred (100) delegates or more, present in person.”)
Remember that number.
The meeting introduced our recently elected State Chairman, Senator Nathan Dahm and Vice Chairman, Wayne Hill. The business that followed allowed the State Committee members opportunity to vote on appointments to the advisory State Executive Committee along with appointments by Dahm for state secretary, treasurer, assistant treasurer, and general counsel who would serve as officers of the State Committee.
But not much else was accomplished in the three-hour session as there were challenges from the beginning.
When Governor Stitt came to the podium, numerous attendees stood holding Trump 2024 signs and/or flags in silent protest to the governor’s recent endorsement of DeSantis for president. This is Oklahoma after all where all 77 counties went for Trump in the last election. Stitt addressed the disagreement at the conclusion of his talk stating, “Hey, if Trump wins the Republican nomination, let’s get him into the White House. But we need someone in there for eight years. So that’s why I endorsed DeSantis. I wanted someone in there for eight years.” He concluded by insisting, “I voted for Trump…” Stitt’s comment was met by boos from the Trump-affirming attendees.
After a word from both Dahm and Hill, the credentialing report was given which allowed the seating of the elected Chairs and Vice-Chairs of the counties, and the State Committee members representing each County. However, the Washington County Vice Chairman was not credentialed which meant he was unable to vote. The Osage County Chairman was credentialed, although Chairman Dahm stated that the elections in both counties should be reviewed. This decision was met with immediate disagreement. Chairman Dahm explained in both instances that he felt rules were broken requiring further investigation. He explained the situation from both counties. His explanation of the Osage County issue was regarding the fact that the election for their vacant Chair position was held virtually. When asked to present evidence of rule-breaking in Washington County his explanation of the facts was immediately challenged by some in Washington county. (To learn more about that issue click here.)
To resolve the disagreement, the State Executive Committee recommended a new committee be formed that could be used in all counties if issues of irregularities arose. The members of the new committee would be appointed by Chairman Dahm and would hold an inquiry to determine what had occurred in the elections and/or if they were fair.
If this is a committee appointed (not elected) by Dahm and they hold the power to determine if there were any irregularities, how is that any different than the “bi-partisan” January 6 committee appointed by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to investigate and determine if there were any “irregularities or illegalities” in what transpired on January 6, 2021 in Washington, D.C.? That supposedly “bi-partisan neutral” committee was hardly neutral as evidenced by who they investigated and who they chose not to investigate. But that’s the problem with committees with members added by appointment only. Who provides oversight over them?
Throughout Saturday’s meeting, Chairman Dahm emphasized, “We’re going to follow the rules and parliamentary procedures…” However, it certainly appeared in several instances that the rules were set aside.
No resolutions were voted on in the meeting as those that were submitted in advance were denied a vote per the Chairman stating that they broke the rules and should have been submitted with the minutes from the meetings in which they were created. When asked why submitters were not informed at the time of submission that meeting minutes were required, they were told there wasn’t time to do so. Considering the resolutions were submitted a week to ten days before the meeting, it certainly seems like it should have been addressed.
The result was no resolutions were able to be considered in the meeting.
As the meeting continued past the three-hour mark, people started to leave. The result was the room emptied to the place the quorum, the 2/3rds number of credentialed attendees needed to continue the meeting, was in question. When the issue was brought to a vote, and attendees counted, they were told there was enough for quorum. But the specific number counted was not given. That is irregular. When the count was contested, because looking around the room it seemed very clear that there was not a quorum, it was repeated that there was a quorum and business continued.
As stated before, throughout the meeting Chairman Dahm repeatedly said, “We want to ensure that all the rules are followed. That’s what we are as Republicans. We follow the rules. We want to make sure all rules are followed.”
While election results for certain counties and important business were put on hold using the “follow the rules” statement, it appeared that in many instances during the day the rules were not followed. If that is the case, how can we proceed with a system, especially at the level of the State Committee, in which rules are followed only when convenient?
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Bio for Citizen Truth:
I am like you. A concerned Oklahoman who has gotten involved in our state’s politics not because I seek a position or compensation, but because I believe in freedom and truth. Like many of you, I recognize that I must be involved. I must learn the rules, because only then can I understand when they are observed, ignored or broken. Will you join me?
Originally shared via OKGrassroots
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