OK PolicyCast

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OKPolicyCast 40: In prison for what's now a misdemeanor (with Damion Shade and Colleen McCarty) Oct 30, 2018

Show notes

In 2016, Oklahomans voted to approve State Question 780 which changed simple drug possession crimes and low-level, non-violent property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors. That law went into effect on July 1, 2017 and is already reshaping Oklahoma's justice system, with many fewer Oklahomans being charged with a felony and sent to prison for drug possession.

Yet there are still thousands of Oklahomans serving long prison sentences or living with a felony record and all the serious consequences that come with it for a crime that would now be a misdemeanor. This raises a serious moral and practical question: Is it just to keep imprisoning those people when Oklahomans have clearly said that their crime should not lead to prison?

To get at this question and what might be done about it, I spoke with OK Policy's criminal justice analyst Damion Shade, as well as Colleen McCarty, a law student and intern with Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform's commutation campaign, which is advocating to commute the sentences of some of those Oklahomans most dramatically affected by felony possession charges before SQ 780.

The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry and produced by Gene Perry and Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you'd like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

OKPolicyCast 39: Bad Voter, Good Voter (with David Glover) Oct 12, 2018

Show notes

In recent years, Oklahoma has seen some of the lowest voter turnout in the nation. Turnout was well below the nation in the 2012 and 2016 presidential races. In our last governor's race in 2014, Oklahoma had the fewest votes cast for governor going back to 1978. But that wasn't always true in Oklahoma. For decades before the 2010s, Oklahomans voted at rates near or above the national average.

Then in June elections this year, Oklahomans showed up at unprecedented levels for a primary race. Will that energy continue, or will it die back down now that marijuana is not longer on the ballot?

To get at some of these questions about what influences voter turnout, I spoke to David Glover, the founder of the website badvoter.org. At badvoter.org, you can look up all the information you need to get registered to vote, vote by mail, or find your polling place. And, as we'll discuss, you can also look up the recent voting history of your friends and family to see who's a good voter or a bad voter.

You can find more information about the upcoming Oklahoma elections, state questions, and how to vote at okpolicy.org/okvotes.

OKPolicyCast 38: All The State Questions (with David Blatt and Carly Putnam) Oct 02, 2018

Show notes

On November 6, besides voting for a new governor and several other state offices, Oklahoma voters will decide five state questions on topics from optometry to school funding. To help you make informed choices on these state questions, OK Policy has already released fact sheets for each one with background information and a summary of arguments made by both supporters and opponents. To add to this resource, today I spoke with OK Policy's Executive Director David Blatt and our Policy Director Carly Putnam to discuss what each of the five state questions on the ballot mean and what people are saying about them. This conversation will be one of the easiest ways for you to quickly get up to speed before election day.

The OKPolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry with production help from Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OKPolicyCast, topics you'd like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

OKPolicyCast 37: Together Oklahoma (with Sabine Brown) Sep 18, 2018

Show notes

In this episode, I spoke with Sabine Brown, who is the outreach and advocacy coordinator for Oklahoma Policy Institute. Through that work, Sabine heads up Together Oklahoma, a grassroots coalition with chapters across the state of people joining with their neighbors to advocate for better public policy. We talked about how Sabine got into this work, and how many others have become members and leaders of Together Oklahoma without having a lot of prior experience working on state policy or advocacy. It's a very useful conversation for anyone who may be a frequent follower of OK Policy's information but now wants to know what you can do with it.

OKPolicyCast 36: Back to School (with Rob Miller) Aug 21, 2018

Show notes

This month many kids and teachers are heading back to school in Oklahoma. Also this month, an increase in Oklahoma's teacher pay scale is going into effect for the first time in a decade. It was a hard won raise for teachers, and it came only after massive advocacy efforts culminating in a teacher walkout and rally at the state capitol near the end of the last school year. But even this much-needed raise won't be enough to make up for years of cuts to education in Oklahoma, and the symptoms of these cuts are still visible in rising class sizes, missing programs, and reduced support staff.

That's why for this episode, I spoke with an experienced educator and administrator about what it feels like coming back to school after all that's happened. Rob Miller is beginning his first year as Superintendent of Bixby Public Schools. In a 25 year career in public education, he's been an assistant superintendent, a middle school principal, and a teacher. He's also been a vocal advocate in the movement for better education funding.

I spoke to Rob about the morale among educators coming back to school, how much more we should be spending to cover what schools and Oklahoma children need, and what he thinks the future of education should like. We also talked about State Question 801 to change how some school property tax dollars can be used and whether he thinks it will help.

OKPolicyCast 35: A frank conversation about criminal justice Aug 07, 2018

Show notes

Last week, Oklahoma Policy Institute hosted our annual Summer Policy Institute for about 60 college students from all over Oklahoma. The 4-day event featured speakers and panels on a wide range of topics. For this episode of the OKPolicyCast, we're sharing the live recording of one of those panels — an interesting, frank, contentious discussion of Oklahoma's criminal justice system.

If after listening to this you'd like to hear more from panelist Jill Webb, check out Episode 25 of the OKPolicyCast, which features an interview with her.

Episode 34: No job? No doctor. (with Carly Putnam & Hannah Katch) Jul 24, 2018

Show notes

This year, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin and the state Legislature ordered the Oklahoma Health Care Authority, which runs Medicaid in Oklahoma, to come up with a plan to require Oklahoma adults on Medicaid to work at least 20 hours each week. If they don't meet this requirement, or if they don't do the paperwork to report their work or get an exemption in time, they will lose their Medicaid coverage and become uninsured.

OK Policy's Carly Putnam has been doing a lot of work on this issue, and for this episode, I spoke with Carly and Hannah Katch of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, who's been looking at this from a national perspective since the idea has been pushed in multiple states.

Right now public comments are being submitted about Oklahoma's plan, and after the interview we read several of the comments that have been sent in so far. These do a great job of showing how real people's lives would be affected if this is implemented. The comments are illuminating, and often heartbreaking.

After listening, you can learn more and take action by going to https://okpolicy.org/stop-attacks-soonercare/.

The OK PolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry with production help from Jessica Vazquez. You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OK PolicyCast, topics you'd like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

Episode 33: Keith Gaddie on the forces shaking Oklahoma politics Jul 10, 2018

Show notes

A couple weeks ago was one of the most interesting and unexpected elections in Oklahoma in a long time. From a big surge in turnout, strong approval of medical marijuana, and numerous incumbents either being forced into a runoff or voted out altogether, it's clear that something is changing in Oklahoma politics.

What happened, what does it mean for the coming runoffs and general elections, and what will our state look like after it all shakes out? To better understand these questions, I spoke to Keith Gaddie, a political science professor at the University of Oklahoma and one of the most well informed, insightful, and balanced commentators on Oklahoma politics today.

You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. If you have any questions for the OK PolicyCast, topics you'd like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

Episode 32: Danielle Allen, from South Central Los Angeles to the Declaration of Independence Jun 26, 2018

Show notes

We've got something really special for you today. In this conversation between author Danielle Allen and Tulsa civil rights attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons, they dig deep into how the inequalities of America — racial inequality, social inequality, economic inequality — play out not just in statistics and political debates, but in the personal dynamics of real individuals and families — as Danielle Allen puts it, in the "rending of kith and kin." It was a powerful, impactful conversation, ranging all the way from South Central Los Angeles to the Declaration of Independence.

Episode 31: Elizabeth Nichols on medical cannabis and SQ 788 Jun 12, 2018

Show notes

For this episode, we spoke with Elizabeth Nichols, an attorney who has worked extensively with the emerging cannabis industry in Oklahoma and nearby states. With Oklahomans voting in just two weeks on State Question 788 to legalize medical cannabis, Nichols shared her perspective on how the medical cannabis industry is developing in other states, what she sees as the best models for implementing medical cannabis in Oklahoma, and what she expects from the SQ 788 vote on June 26.

You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or RSS. The theme music is by Zébre. The OK PolicyCast is hosted by Gene Perry with production assistance by Jessica Vazquez. If you have any questions for the OK PolicyCast, topics you'd like us to cover, or people you want us to interview, you can reach us at policycast@okpolicy.org.

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