106.3 Norman
105.7 Oklahoma City/Spencer
103.1 Seminole
97.9 Ada
Election 2008 Headlines from NPR
Voting Information and Reporting Voting Problems
You can locate your polling place based upon your registration information from the state Election Board.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008 Election Protection is a national, non-partisan organization created to ensure that all voters have an equal opportunity to participate in the political process. You can also call them at 866-687-8683. Their website also has state reports, including Oklahoma. The ACLU of Oklahoma has a voter hotline open for election issues. You can call them at 405-524-2296.
Rock the Native Vote
Oklahoma has the largest per capita Native American population in the nation, but those numbers fail to translate to turnout on Election Day. At a recent Rock the Native Vote event, KGOU's Kurt Gwartney asked Enoch Kelly Haney, principal chief of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and former state legislator, why it's important for the Native American vote to be counted.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008 Oklahoma Voices: The Impact of Instant Information on Elections
Recorded at the 10th Annual First Amendment Congress on October 23, 2008, this is a panel discussion on the effect of new technologies on elections and campaigns. The moderator was Sherry Fair, Administrator of the Oklahoma City Arts Center. The panelists were Pat Hall, Democratic consultant, Pat McFerron, Republican consultant, Dr. Keith Gaddie, Professor of Political Science at the University of Oklahoma, and Dr. Joey Senat, Professor of Communication at Oklahoma State University. The First Amendment Congress is the annual meeting of Freedom of Information Oklahoma.Monday, November 3, 208 More information about Freedom of Information Oklahoma
Professor Predicts Presidential Winner
Allan J. Lichtman is professor of history at American University in Washington, D.C. But more notably, he has been predicting the winners of the nation’s presidential contests since 1984, and he has never been wrong. And while other electoral predictors use polls for their analysis, Lichtman depends on 13 true-or-false questions to forecast who will live in the White House. He developed the 13 Keys with a Russian geophysicist. His book The Keys to the White House: A Surefire Guide to Predicting the Next President provides an in-depth explanation of the development of the 13 Keys.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Corporation Commissioner Election Interviews and Debate
The actions of the Oklahoma Corporation Commission touch the lives of every Oklahoman. Whether it's passing along the cost of a new power plant to electrical utility customers or making sure each gasoline pump delivers the right amount of fuel, Corporation Commissioners are charged with regulating a variety of businesses and activities considered essential to the public welfare.Monday, October 13, 2008 Listen to interviews with the two candidates for a short-term seat on the three-member commission" Dana Murphy and Jim Roth. Murphy is a Republican, a former Corporation Commission administrative law judge, and an attorney in private practice. Roth is the incumbent Democrat appointed by Gov. Brad Henry to fill the seat left vacant by former Commissioner Denise Bode. He is also a former Oklahoma County Commissioner. KGOU's Kurt Gwartney spoke with each candidate using the same questions. He then put their answers together to make the comparison easier. We also air a debate between the two candidates that was recorded October 8 on the University of Oklahoma Campus. The recording has been edited for time.
Oklahoma Voices: Voter ID Debate and a Conversation with US Senate Candidate Andrew Rice
Monday, September 29, 2008  MP3
Over the past two years, the Republican-led Oklahoma House has twice passed legislation that would require all voters to show photo identification at the polls. In each case, the measure later stalled in Senate Committee. With GOP leaders predicting their party will wrestle control of the state Senate in November, a voter ID law could come one step closer to reality (though it could still face a veto from the Governor). This week on Oklahoma Voices, we listen to a recent debate on the matter hosted by the Oklahoma Republican Capitol Caucus. State Rep. John Wright (R-Broken Arrow) argues in favor of the measure, saying it would help instill voter confidence that their representatives in government have been fairly and properly elected. Chuck Thornton of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oklahoma disagrees. He says such requirements amount to “a solution in search of a problem” and impose “an obstacle to a fundamental right.” And Oklahoma County Election Board Secretary Doug Sanderson describes the current laws regarding voter registration and identity verification. In the second half of our program, our guest hosts -- University of Oklahoma Political Science Professor Keith Gaddie and OU International Programs Center Vice-Provost Zach Messitte – speak with State Senator Andrew Rice (D-OKC), who’s running for US Senate against Republican incumbent Jim Inhofe. KGOU has been speaking with Sen. Inhofe’s office, and we hope to conduct an interview with him in the coming weeks. WEB EXTRAS: See a state-by-state list of voter ID requirements Read about the US Supreme Court’s April decision to uphold Indiana’s Voter ID law Find your polling site See the State Election Board’s answers to frequently asked questions about voting in Oklahoma An Audio Postcard from the Republican National Convention
Wednesday, September 3, 2008 MP3
 Oklahoma Republicans are showcasing their presidential and vice-presidential candidates in the Twin Cities this week. They’re meeting with other delegates, rallying their base, and listening to a lot of speeches. Continuing our delegate diaries series, we check in with Leonard Sullivan, the Oklahoma County Assessor, and John Tyler Hammons, a nineteen-year-old University of Oklahoma student and Mayor of Muskogee.
Will Rogers for President
Thursday, August 28, 2008 MP3
One of Oklahoma's most favorite sons is being drafted once again to run for president. Kurt Gwartney visits with Tim Mauldin, Ph.D., about the Will Rogers Caucus and its goals for the Democratic National Convention. The interview ends with audio provided by the Will Rogers Memorial from the 1932 DNC convention. An Audio Postcard from the Democratic National Convention
Tuesday, August 26, 2008 MP3
As part of our delegate diaries series, we present a snapshot of two very different Oklahoma women participating in the Democratic National Convention this week in Denver: 83-year-old alternate delegate May Scott of Ardmore, who’s attending her third convention, and Krista Hodges Eckhoff, a young mother and first-time convention-goer from Yukon. They supported different candidates for their party’s nomination, but now they’re trying to bridge their divide and erase lingering doubt, just like the rest of the party. We’ll hear next week from several Oklahoma delegates attending the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota.
A Preview of the Oklahoma Primary Election
Tuesday, July 29, 2008 MP3Voters across Oklahoma will select winners today in primary races for sheriffs, county and court clerks, county commissioners and a variety of local tax initiatives. And there are a number of House and Senate races worth watching. For a preview of some of the key races and what it all means, KGOU News Director Scott Gurian speaks with University of Oklahoma Political Science Professor Keith Gaddie. Correction: An earlier version of this interview that aired this morning incorrectly stated that State Rep. Wallace Collins (House dist. 45) faces challengers both from the GOP side and within his own party. In fact, there are four Republicans vying for the position, but Collins does not face any Democratic primary challengers. Also Rep. Mike Reynolds (dist. 91) is in his third, not second term. WEB EXTRAS: Read biographical info on incumbent members of the state legislature, see how they voted on key issues and how they were ranked by various interest groups by entering your zip code at Project Vote Smart See where candidates stand on economic development issues, as tracked by the Oklahoma Prosperity Project, a pro-business group sponsored by the State Chamber Former OK Governor Involved in Resolving Democratic Party Dispute
The Democratic National Committee's Rules and Bylaws Committee is meeting Saturday to decide what to do with Florida and Michigan. The party had stripped the two states of their delegates for holding primaries in January, against party rules, but now some are calling for that decision to be reversed. David Walters was Oklahoma Governor from 1991 to 1995, and is chair of the Convention Rules Committee, which will have to ratify whatever final solution is proposed. KGOU's Scott Gurian speaks with him about his suggested compromise.
 Friday, May 30, 2008MP3
Votes of Oklahoma’s Superdelegates Up for Grabs
Wednesday, March 5, 2008 With Hillary Clinton’s wins over Barak Obama in yesterday’s Texas and Ohio primaries, the quest for the Democratic party’s superdelegates (more than 800 elected primary and party officials from each state) continues. And while Oklahoma’s primary was over on Super Tuesday, the two presidential hopefuls are still competing in the state, this time for the votes of the nine party “supers.” Eric Niiler reports from Washington. Guests include Democratic Congressman Dan Boren, Superdelegate Transparency Project co-founder Jennifer Nix, Democratic National Committee member Betty McElderry, Vice Chairwoman of Oklahoma Democratic Party Kitti Asberry, former Oklahoma Democratic Party Chair Jay Parmley and current state party Chair Ivan Holmes.
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OK Indians Gear up for Election Season
KGOU’s Susan Shannon hosts the first of a series of weekly, five-minute updates of news affecting Native Americans in Oklahoma. This week she speaks with INDN’s List founder Kalyn Free and Oklahoma Osage Louis Gray – former Nevada Director of the Native American Network -- about the roles Indians are playing this election season.
Saturday, February 23, 2008 MP3
KGOU WEBSITE EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL
KGOU presents NPR-anchored coverage and analysis of the CNN Democratic Presidential Debate which took place Thursday, February 21. The debate, held at the University of Texas in Austin, was the second one-on-one debate between Senator Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
CNN Democratic Presidential Debate In Texas Friday, February 22, 2008 Part 1 Part 2
KGOU WEBSITE EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL
Super Tuesday is gone, and we have … five winners! The race moves on to other primary states, so what do voters really want? Capitol News Connection offers the first of its Campaign 2008 interactive series, “Ask Your Lawmaker”. ASK YOUR LAWMAKER: The Defining Issues of Campaign 2008 Friday, February 22, 2008 Exit polls confirm most Democrats want change, and voters from both parties are most concerned about the economy. What issues matter most to you? The economy? Healthcare? Immigration, global warming, Iraq? Plus, how lawmakers, as “super delegates”, could end up picking the candidates at the party conventions – how will they decide? Audio is available on the Ask Your Lawmaker website as the Featured Podcast.
Oklahoma Voices: US Rep. Tom Cole Offers His Election Season Analysis and Predictions
In advance of Super Tuesday, when Oklahomans and residents of twenty-three other states head to the polls to vote in the Presidential primaries, we’re airing these remarks Fourth District Congressman Tom Cole made last November at the University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord College of Journalism. Cole says the American electorate is in the mood for fundamental change, and as the fourth-ranking Republican in the U.S. House and Chair of the National Republican Congressional Committee – charged with electing Republicans to Congress -- his comments carry a certain weight.Monday, February 4, 2008 “The Presidential election, I predict today, is going to be the most intense and one of the closest in the last couple of generations,” he said, “because the country remains on most fundamental issues, very, very evenly divided between the two parties.” Speaking before student journalists, he noted this is the first time in his life that he’s been unable to point to the most viable Republican nominee. On the Democratic side, however, he predicted Hillary Clinton will win her party’s nomination, and he called her “the most conservative Democrat running for President.” Looking ahead to November, he forecast that the GOP will fare well in Congress. “Republicans can lose the Presidency, lose seats in the Senate and still gain ground in the House,” he said. “The table is set for that as one of the potential outcomes.” MP3
WEB EXTRAS: Get background information including biographies, voting records and lists of where the candidates stand on a variety of issue by visiting the website of Project Vote Smart The St. Petersburg Times and Congressional Quarterly have created a new, online service called PolitiFact.com, which features a "Truth-O-Meter" that scores the truthfulness of specific claims by the presidential candidates KGOU WEBSITE ONLY SPECIAL:
President “Change”: What’s Hope, What’s Reality?  Fast-forward to January 2009. A new President is in the Oval Office. How will he – or she – grease the wheels of official Washington to get an agenda of “change” through Congress? How will the bold visions of change, lofty hopes and dreams and policy promises in each contender’s campaign rhetoric translate into reality? What are the challenges? What impact can personality, leadership style, experience and strategy translate into policy success? What do voters need to know about the candidates?How would a visionary “non-COO” President Obama go about changing Washington? How about a methodical, detail-oriented President Clinton, or a “corporate turnaround” CEO President Romney? A preacher President Huckabee, or a “straight-talker” with a temper President McCain? How do these candidates’ personalities and experiences bode for how they will govern? Any new President will have to work with Congress, and with some very powerful and entrenched special interests. What can history tell us about the odds of their success? Join Capitol News Connection’s Melinda Wittstock for a ‘read-between-the-lines’ in this hour-long documentary special ahead of Super Tuesday. MP3
KGOU WEBSITE ONLY SPECIAL:
Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee was in Oklahoma City this morning, where he stressed his conservative views and vowed to continue his campaign. Speaking before enthusiastic supporters at Coaches Restaurant in Bricktown, Huckabee called himself the only true conservative running for president. He also
called for smaller, more localized government, increased border security, a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, and a drastic overhaul in tax policy. Huckabee supports a so-called “fair tax” policy that would replace federal income taxes with a 23 percent national sales tax.GOP Presidential Contender Mike Huckabee Visits Oklahoma Friday, February 1, 2008 Listen to former State Senator and Huckabee's Oklahoma Campaign Chairman Scott Pruitt, as well as former Oklahoma City Mayor Kirk Humphreys introduce Mike Huckabee: MP3Listen to Mike Huckabee's speech: MP3
KGOU WEBSITE ONLY SPECIAL:
Former President Bill Clinton campaigned for his wife this afternoon before a packed crowd on the University of Oklahoma campus. His appearance came just six days before Oklahomans will have the opportunity to vote in the February 5th Super Tuesday primary. Supporters of Senator Hillary Clinton say polls show she has the lead among Democratic candidates in the state. The former President was accompanied by his daughter, Chelsea Clinton.Bill Clinton Campaigns at OU for his Wife Wednesday, January 30, 2008 Listen to OU President David Boren's introduction of Clinton: MP3Listen to Bill Clinton's speech: MP3
Oklahoma Voices: Leadership in Trying Times
Democratic Presidential Candidate John Edwards made a campaign stop at a Teamsters union hall in Oklahoma City last Friday, where he vowed to fight against special interests in Washington. OU Political Science Professor Keith Gaddie joins us to discuss a brief press conference he attended with the former North Carolina Senator earlier in the week.
Monday, January 21, 2008 Then Gaddie speaks with NBC News Presidential Historian Michael Beschloss and OU Classics Professor Kyle Harper (pictured above) about the quality of a good leader and the history of how leaders have met challenges in trying times. Finally, for Martin Luther King Day, we rebroadcast a roundtable discussion first aired last month with Richard Brown, Alma Posey, Calvin Luper and Willy Johnson, Jr. They talk about their involvement in the Oklahoma City sit-ins of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which played an important role in the national Civil Rights movement. MP3
WEB EXTRAS: Listen to Keith Gaddie talk about the press conference he attended with John Edwards (excerpt from full show): MP3Listen to the complete press conference Edwards held on Tuesday, January 15th at Wiley Post Airport in Oklahoma City: MP3Download and listen to Keith Gaddie's rountable discussion on leadership with Michael Beschloss and Kyle Harper (excerpt from full show): MP3Read a brief history of the Civil Rights Movement in Oklahoma.
Oklahoma Voices:
KGOU aired live coverage of the bipartisan political forum taking place on the campus of the University of Oklahoma. OU President David Boren has convened a panel of national political leaders including New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman, former Defense Secretary Bill Cohen and former Senators Chuck Hagel, Sam Nunn, Jack Danforth and Bob Graham to discuss "ways in which our nation can end divisive partisan polarization, create bipartisanship, and bring the country together after conclusion of the 2008 election." Despite assurances to the contrary, the event fueled speculation that Bloomberg may be planning an independent bid for the Presidency.
OU Bipartisan Political Forum Monday, January 7, 2008 MP3
Read a full transcript of the forum, including questions from members of the media and the participants’ responses (PDF) A Preview of Monday's Political Forum
University of Oklahoma Political Science Professor Keith Gaddie speaks about the composition of Monday morning's political forum in Norman, which OU President and meeting co-sponsor David Boren has hinted could examine supporting an independent candidate for President. Gaddie discusses the significance of the event, its timing and what’s likely to come out of it.
Monday, January 7, 2008 MP3
WEB EXTRAS: Listen to why Gaddie thinks a third party or independent Presidential candidate would be more successful at stealing votes from Republicans: MP3Gaddie talks about how the results of the New Hampshire Primary and Super Tuesday will affect this discussion: MP3Hear why Gaddie thinks it’s ironic this forum is taking place in Oklahoma: MP3
Oklahoma Voices: Getting on the Ballot
A few weeks ago, a group calling itself Oklahomans for Ballot Access Reform held a press conference at the state capitol to announce it was kicking off an initiative petition drive. By mid-December, group members are hoping to collect ninety thousand signatures to force a voter referendum to change state laws and make it easier for lesser-known candidates to get on the ballot. Next time on Oklahoma Voices we’ll air an updated version of a 2004 program from the KGOU archives exploring why Oklahoma's current ballot access laws have third parties and independent voters in the state calling for electoral reform.Monday, October 8, 2007 Guests include Oklahoma State Election Board Secretary Michael Clingman; Ballot Access News Editor Richard Winger; former Central Oklahoma Libertarian Party Chair Tom Laurent; former Oklahoma Green Party co-chair Rachel Jackson and John Anderson, former Independent Presidential candidate and Chair of FairVote (née the Center for Voting and Democracy), which researches and advocates more democratic voting systems. MP3
WEB EXTRAS: Read a transcript of the longer version of this program that aired back in 2004 Listen to KGOU’s recent in-depth report on OBAR’s petition drive: MP3Listen to Libertarian Presidential candidate Daniel Imperato’s comments on ballot access during his recent trip to Oklahoma: MP3Read why Richard Winger of Ballot Access News thinks ballot access is important
KGOU WEBSITE-ONLY SPECIAL
Daniel Imperato – who’s seeking the presidential nomination from the Libertarian Party – spoke last Thursday in Oklahoma City at a fundraiser for the group Oklahomans for Ballot Access Reform. Imperato said his thirty years of experience in global business planning and his high level personal relationships around the world make him well-suited to make a major push for the White House in 2008. He lamented, though, that Oklahomans would be unable to vote for him unless the state substantially changes its restrictions making it difficult for third party candidates to get on the ballot.Libertarian Presidential Candidate Daniel Imperato Visits Oklahoma (recorded Thursday, September 6, 2007) Oklahoma was the only state in the country where voters did not have the option of choosing a Libertarian candidate in the last Presidential election. OBAR will hold a press conference at the state capitol this Friday to announce the beginning of an initiative petition drive, asking voters to ease the ballot access laws. MP3
Listen to Daniel Imperato speak about ballot access: MP3
KGOU WEBSITE-ONLY SPECIAL
Former Massachusetts Governor and GOP Presidential Contender Mitt Romney delivered his stump speech and answered questions from the audience this afternoon at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City. The visit comes a day after Romney released his personal financial disclosure statement indicating he has investments totaling between 190 and 250 million dollars, which is nine or ten times the net worth of his closest competitors.GOP Presidential Contender Mitt Romney in OKC (recorded Tuesday, August 14, 2007) Speaking to reporters, Romney said he thinks his campaign is witnessing “winds of change” that began last weekend in Iowa. That’s when he finished first in the Republican straw poll, an unscientific test vote that was skipped by candidates John McCain and Rudolph Giuliani. A Soonerpoll.com survey of Oklahoma Republicans conducted in May found that Romney was in a distant fourth place, trailing McCain, Giuliani and undeclared candidate Fred Thompson. But Romney said his success in Iowa as well as his efforts in other, early primary states like New Hampshire and South Carolina will help him take his message nationwide and ultimately be successful in Oklahoma as well. MP3
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