Saying No to Tax Hikes in Oklahoma Elections

The election debate in Oklahoma has turned to taxes. That’s in large part because of the work of Oklahoma CSE volunteer activists, who have asked all state candidates to sign a pledge promising not to raise taxes during the next legislative session. To date, 36 OK state House and Senate candidates (26 Republicans, 5 Democrats, and 4 Independents) have signed the promise to keep taxes at their current level.

“Too often, political candidates talk one way during the election, but vote another way in office,” said Art Curtis, the volunteer leader of Oklahoma CSE. “We think it is important to get everyone on record before Election Day. The CSE pledge is a great way for Oklahoma voters to see where the candidates really stand.”

The CSE pledge is part of an overall voter education campaign in Oklahoma. Using e-mail, phone calls, and community walks, CSE will inform its 4,700 Oklahoma members of the pledge results.

A complete list of signers is available at below, and online at: http://www.cse.homestead.com/whosign.html

“While we’ve given every candidate an opportunity to sign the pledge, some choose not to sign. Non-signing candidates also show where they stand— they want to be able to raise taxes and grow government,” said Mr. Curtis.

“I applaud all the candidates that responded and thank them for providing voters with the information on where they stand on taxes. And, our work doesn’t stop on November 5th. We’ll be fighting the tax and spenders in Oklahoma City throughout 2003-2004, and we’ll be making sure elected officials keep their promises!”