Who Are These People on My Ballot?

Vote on federal laws and on how the country spends its money. Vote yes or no on the president's picks for the U.S. Supreme Court, federal judgeships, and cabinet jobs. Approve treaties with other countries. Hold hearings. Oklahoma has two senators, and both represent the whole state — you share them with about four million other people.

Vote on federal laws, taxes, and spending. Serve on committees that shape areas like farming and defense. Help people in the district with federal problems — a passport that never came, VA benefits, a Social Security holdup. Oklahoma has five districts of about 800,000 people each, so this is the federal office most likely to know your town by name.

Run the executive branch of state government. Sign bills into law, or veto them — including striking single lines out of a spending bill. Propose a state budget and push priorities with the Legislature. Appoint people to many state boards, commissions, and offices, and fill open judge seats through Oklahoma's judicial selection process. Command the Oklahoma National Guard and declare a state of emergency. Act on pardons, commutations, and some paroles. Call lawmakers back for a special session.

Step in as Governor when the Governor is out of state or unable to serve, and take over if the office becomes vacant. Serve as President of the State Senate and break tie votes there. Sit on several state boards, and chair the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Commission. A Governor can also hand this office extra assignments.

Act as the state's lawyer — defend Oklahoma's laws in court and sue on the state's behalf. Run consumer protection, where Oklahomans file complaints about scams, fraud, and price gouging. Prosecute crimes like Medicaid fraud. Issue official legal opinions that state agencies follow.

Serve as the state's elected money manager. Take in state money, hold it, invest it, and pay it back out. Handle payments on state debt. Run the Unclaimed Property program. More than $22 billion moves through this office every year, and it invests billions of that along the way.

Serve as the independent auditor of state and county government. Go through the books and report what the money was actually spent on. Run financial audits, performance audits, and fraud investigations. The office can also run special audits of school districts and other public bodies when the law allows it.

Enforce Oklahoma's wage laws and child labor laws. Look into claims from workers who weren't paid what they were owed. Handle job safety for public employees, and offer safety help to private employers who ask. License and inspect things like elevators, boilers, amusement rides, and asbestos work.

License the insurance companies and agents that do business in Oklahoma. Review the rates they charge. Look into complaints when you think an insurer treated you unfairly. This office also licenses bail bondsmen.

Set the rates that many investor-owned electric, gas, and water utilities can charge, through public rate cases anyone can watch. Set rules for oil and gas drilling and well safety, fuel storage tanks, and some trucking and transportation. The Commission also has limited say over phone and internet service.

Lead the State Department of Education and chair the State Board of Education. Run the agency that sends billions of dollars in state and federal school money out to districts. Watch over statewide testing, school ratings, and teacher licensing. Build the education budget request. The Legislature decides what actually gets funded. Work with the State Board on statewide policy and what students are expected to learn.

Write and vote on state laws and the state budget — taxes, roads, schools, health care, public safety. Vote yes or no on many of the Governor's appointments to state boards, commissions, and other jobs that need Senate approval. Senators can serve 12 years total in the Legislature, counting House and Senate time together.

Write and pass state laws and the budget alongside the Senate. All tax and revenue bills must start in the House. Represent a smaller district, which makes them often the most reachable state official.

Serve on the three-member board that runs county government. Take care of county roads and bridges. Approve the county budget, big purchases, and contracts. Look after county buildings and equipment. Each commissioner is responsible for the roads and bridges in their own district.

Determine the taxable value of every home, business, and piece of land in the county — the number your property tax bill is based on. Process homestead exemptions. Keep property maps and ownership records.

Collect property taxes and send that money out to schools, the county, cities, and other local entities. Handle delinquent taxes and tax sales. Manage the county's accounts.

Run the county jail. Provide law enforcement and patrol outside city limits. Serve warrants and court papers. Provide courthouse security and carry out court-ordered evictions and property sales.

Keep the county's official records. Property deeds, mortgages, and liens all get filed here. Handle county purchasing and payroll paperwork. Take the minutes for the county commissioners.

Maintain all court case records and files, and make them available to the public. Collect court fines, fees, and costs. Issue marriage licenses and accept passport applications. Manage jury summonses and paperwork.

Hire and evaluate the superintendent. Approve the district budget and how bond money gets spent. Set district policy on everything from calendars and start times to discipline and cell phones. Vote on school closures, boundary changes, and building projects. Candidates don't run as Republican or Democrat.

Lead city government. How much power that carries depends on where you live. In some Oklahoma cities the mayor runs departments and shapes the budget day to day. In others the job is mostly ceremonial, the mayor has one seat on the council, and a hired city manager runs things. Some cities elect the mayor directly. In others the council picks one of its own.

Pass city ordinances and approve the city budget. Vote on zoning and what gets built where. Set utility rates for city water and trash. Fund the police and fire departments. In some towns the council also chooses the mayor from among its own members. Smaller communities may call these seats trustees or commissioners instead.

Decide which criminal charges get filed, which get reduced, and which get dropped — then take them to court. Work out plea deals, which is how most cases end. Run programs like drug court and mental health court. Handle juvenile cases and chase down unpaid child support. Advise county officials on legal questions.

Run the trials and hearings that touch everyday life. Divorces and custody. Evictions. Lawsuits. Criminal cases. Wills and estates. Protective orders. They set bail, decide what evidence a jury hears, and hand down sentences. These candidates don't run as Republican or Democrat.

Oklahoma's appeals judges don't run against opponents. The Governor appoints them from a list, and every so often voters get one question: should this judge stay on the bench? You answer yes or no. It covers three courts — the Supreme Court, which handles civil appeals; the Court of Criminal Appeals; and the Court of Civil Appeals. These judges review rulings from lower courts and decide whether the law was applied correctly.