Oklahoma: Lawsuit filed against signature strikes in Stillwater City Council

Petitioners are suing Stillwater and the City Manager and City Clerk after they were found to have fallen short of the submitted signatures against five members of the Stillwater City Council,Mayor Will Joyce, Vice Mayor Pat Darlington and Councilors Alane Zannotti, Amy Dzialowski and Jon Wedlake.

The recall was over the city council's support for the government's moves to fight the coronavirus pandemic. Petitioners handed in between 530-540 signatures and need 415 valids. The lawsuit claims that the city violated the rules by adjusting the signature counts after the petitions have been certified. The changes led to striking 17 signatures for the mayor and 16 for councilmembers. Before those removals, four of the five had enough signatures to get on the ballot.

There are questions over whether the Payne County Assessor role, as the County Assessor was apparently holding petitions and notarizing them for anyone who signs. This is quite unusual in the US (though it is normal in the UK).