OPEAPAC: 2022 Midterms Results & Reflections

The 2022 midterm elections are over. What’s next? What does this mean for OPEA?

OPEAPAC endorsed candidates in 33 legislative and statewide general election races. 32 of those candidates were elected.  Overall, that resulted in a 96.5 % accuracy rate with endorsements.  As mentioned in the last Advocate, OPEAPAC selects candidates to support based on their existing voting record and overall support for state employees. OPEAPAC’s ability to accurately endorse the victors in general elections has created a solid foundation to begin working towards improving state employment.

Overall, the upcoming 59th Legislature will be very similar to the 58th.  The House will be composed of 81 Republican members and 20 Democratic members.  The State Senate is comprised of 40 Republicans and 8 Democrats.  Speaker Charles McCall has been reelected to serve as the Speaker of the House. Senator Greg Treat was reelected as the President Pro Tempore of the Senate.

OPEA’s lobbying team has spent years developing strong working relationships with key players in state leadership. The 2023 legislative session could see the most progress for state employees in a decade. We plan to bring important legislation this session such as returning state employees to the defined benefit retirement system, implementation of the market-based pay legislation passed in 2022, and much more!

OPEA staff is currently working with legislators to begin the process of turning our member’s platform planks into legislation.

What can OPEA members do to help guarantee legislative success in 2023?

Get to know your state representative and your state senator! If you don’t know who that is find them here!  Start to build that relationship with them so that when you call they know your name, that you are a state employee, and that you are an OPEA member. Your voice matters more than you realize. Regardless if you agree with your elected representation on every issues, they are still there to represent you. You don’t have to agree on everything to advocate for bettering Oklahoma state employment. The best way to advocate for yourself and state employees is to ask to meet with your legislator before session starts in February. Ask them to have coffee or go to a political event they are attending. Put a face to your name and they would be more willing to listen to someone they know and they are certain that you live in their constituency.

Be on the lookout for OPEA calls to action. We will send out our calls to action using email and social media. When you see that notification call as soon as you can. We always recommend calling your legislator because it’s more difficult to ignore a ringing phone than an email.

If you have any questions regarding legislation, legislators, or OPEAPAC, please contact Chancen Flick, Government Relations Coordinator at 405-524-6764 or at chancenf@opea.org

 

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