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We are back at the Capitol this week, and it's a busy time. This week, Senate bills will be first- and second-read and assigned to House committees, and the same will happen to our bills in the Senate.

We'll have until April 8 to advance bills from our Appropriations & Budget subcommittees, until April 12 to pass them in regular standing committees and until April 19 to pass them in our full A&B Committee. April 25 is the third-reading deadline for bills from the opposite chamber.

I am proud to support Senate Joint Resolution 34. This resolution, if passed, would submit a vote to the people to create the Judicial Nominating Commission. The governor would have the power to appoint new appellate justices and judges.

However, the appointment is subject to confirmation by the Senate. If the Senate is not in session when the nomination is made, the governor is authorized to call a special session for the Senate to consider the nomination. It would make the method for judicial appointment more in line with the U.S. Constitution.

So far, during this session, the House has continued to work to ensure Oklahoma has the most free and fair elections in the country. We currently have an excellent system and we want to ensure it stays that way.

House Bill 3156 would ban ranked-choice voting within the state. Ranked-choice voting requires voters to designate their top choice in a race, their second choice, and so on down the ballot. It makes voting more confusing and has delayed election results everywhere it has been tried.

For example, if a ballot has five offices and each office has four candidates, each voter would be expected to review and rank four candidates for each race, resulting in 20 votes. If no candidate receives a majority, the least popular candidate is eliminated, and their voters' votes are reallocated to their second-choice candidate, repeating until one candidate has a majority.

Ranked choice voting has already been banned in Florida, Tennessee, Idaho, Montana and South Dakota; hopefully, Oklahoma will be the next state to ban it.

Another bill passed by the House aimed at safeguarding elections is House Bill 3717. Under the measure, all voters would be required to show proof of identity starting Jan. 1, 2026.

We've had an eventful couple of weeks, and I look forward to hearing Senate bills in committee over the next few weeks.

It is such an honor and privilege to represent you at the State Capitol. I want to encourage any constituent with questions or concerns regarding legislation to reach out to my office at (405) 557-7358 or at john.kane@okhouse.gov.

John Kane, a Republican, serves House District 11 in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, which covers Tulsa and Washington counties.