Ask local candidates to sign Open Government Pledge

Freedom of Information Oklahoma Inc. invites candidates for municipal offices and school board seats this spring to pledge to abide by the letter and spirit of the state's open government laws.

In signing the Open Government Pledge, candidates promise that they and the public bodies that they are "elected to govern will comply with not only the letter but also the spirit of Oklahoma's Open Meeting and Open Records laws."

Each candidate also promises to "support at every opportunity the public policy of the State of Oklahoma that the people are vested with the inherent right to know and be fully informed about their government so that they can efficiently and intelligently exercise their inherent political power."

In November, voters elected 11 statewide and legislative candidates who had signed the pledge. Lists of signers for the 2010, 2009 and 2008 elections can be found on FOI Oklahoma's website.

The pledge and instructions for having it signed can be found on FOI Oklahoma’s website.

FOI Oklahoma began the Open Government Pledge in 2008 as part of a national effort to spur public commitments to government transparency from candidates for president down to city council contests.


Joey Senat, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
OSU School of Media & Strategic Communications