Governor Calls for Action on Campaign Finance System
In a notable development, Governor Kevin Stitt has communicated with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission ahead of a crucial vote regarding the state's campaign finance framework. The governor expressed concerns about the commission's current priorities.
Stitt's letter, dated Thursday, emphasized that the commission should concentrate on its fundamental role of ensuring transparency rather than assuming new duties. He highlighted that the online Guardian system, essential for tracking campaign finance reports, has been non-operational for several months.
"Oklahomans deserve full transparency in our elections, yet the online Guardian system, the state’s critical tool for tracking campaign finance reports, has been down for months, plunging our state into unnecessary darkness since June," he said in a letter. "This outage means everyday citizens cannot see campaign donations flowing to PACs, candidates, and other accounts."
Commission's Response and Actions
Following the governor's correspondence, the Ethics Commission convened for a scheduled meeting on Friday. The agenda included discussions on various proposed rule modifications.
During this session, the commission made significant decisions regarding the Guardian system. They voted to end the contract with RFD and Associates, the company responsible for developing the new version of the system. Instead, they opted to reactivate the original Guardian platform managed by the previous vendor, Civix.
To facilitate this transition, the commission approved a three-year agreement worth $217,000 with Carahsoft, a partner of Civix. The legacy Guardian system was restored and became accessible shortly after the commission's vote on Friday.
The commission also authorized the Oklahoma Attorney General to initiate legal proceedings against RFD and Associates to seek potential compensation for damages.
Background and Commission's Perspective
The original Guardian platform was deactivated in September with plans for a relaunch in October. However, unexpected complications in data migration caused postponements. These delays impacted candidates, lobbyists, and political action committees, especially with the 2026 election period approaching.
In a reply to the governor, Lee Anne Bruce Boone, the commission's executive director, and Justin Meek, its chair, defended the commission's actions. They stated that the commission has been actively seeking solutions and did not hesitate in addressing the system's issues.
"We have witnessed the Commission’s focus and expansive efforts to obtain a solution," the letter reads. "As such, it is important to clarify that the Commission has not been weighing whether to act. For months, the Commission has been exploring solutions to restore continuity. The Commission wanted to ensure accuracy, reliability, and protection for both filers and the public before arriving at a hasty solution."
The commission also sought support from the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services as challenges persisted.
Transition and Future Steps
With the original system now operational, the Ethics Commission has notified stakeholders about the restoration and updated reporting schedules. They acknowledged that some users had input data into the discontinued Guardian 2.0 system during the interim, and this information will not transfer to the revived platform.
"Some filers entered information into the Guardian 2.0 system during the transition period," an official communication stated. "Because Guardian 2.0 will not be used for filing, information entered in that system will not carry over to the legacy Guardian platform and will need to be re-entered. We recognize that this may create additional work for some filers, and we appreciate your patience. This step is necessary to ensure that all filings are submitted in a single, stable system and reflected accurately and consistently in the official public record."
Bruce Boone mentioned that many users have minimal data to migrate and that the commission's team worked diligently to extract available information from the defunct system to aid the transition.
"Unfortunately, given the nature of the termination – there will not be a quick and easy opportunity to get any data from Guardian 2.0," she said. "Our team took a great deal of time, knowing this was a possibility, downloading as much information as possible from Guardian 2.0 so that we could assist as needed."
Representatives from RFD and Associates, who were present at the Friday meeting, have not provided comments on the matter.
