Tuesday, October 20, 2026 • Cloudy and mild. 73-74. ☁️

We received 300 votes on the Monday poll, “Should Oklahoma make it easier for independent voters to participate in primary elections?”

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Yes, all voters deserve a say (224)
🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ No, primaries should be for party members (59)
⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ Only if political parties allow it (17)

New poll question at the bottom of today’s newsletter. (You can also suggest a poll question by emailing me at [email protected].)

By Ashtynn Caldwell, KOSU
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Walking cell to cell to ensure everyone is accounted for, Oklahoma County public defenders conduct occasional audits of the Oklahoma County Detention Center. Chief Public Defender Brigette Biffle says she’s seen many issues inside the facility during her visits.

“We’ve seen issues with flooding, we’ve seen HVAC issues, and it is so hard to get around in the jail [...] It is extremely hard to get people to work there. The jail is down about 100 employees, and a lot of this is because of the building.”

Built in 1991, the notorious jail failed its twelfth consecutive health inspection in July, and it often sees high mortality rates. The jail recently reported a statistical decrease in deaths, but in 2021, the jail mortality rate ranked second in the nation. Earlier this month, one person died after being found unresponsive in their cell.

“When we’re talking about fights or life and death situations or someone who’s maybe committing suicide, every single minute counts,” Biffle said. “When you’re in a building that has 13 floors, you don’t really have the capability to get where you need to go as fast as possible.”

The infrastructure also lacks adequate space for attorney-client meetings. The jail has just three meeting booths, despite housing 1,500 people on average. Over 80% of those people are pretrial — they’re presumed innocent until proven guilty and have a right to legal counsel.

“[Attorneys] want to get over to the jail and see their clients. And that’s extremely hard when there’s basically only three rooms,” Biffle said. “It’s really limited for in-custody defendants to see their counsel, whether they’re public defenders, whether they’re private attorneys, there’s just such limited space.”

One upcoming ballot measure could change things.

In 2022, voters approved a $260 million bond to construct a new jail, but due to inaccurate financial estimates and inflation, the project's price tag ballooned before the county was able to break ground. It is now estimated to cost $860 million.

On Nov. 3, Oklahoma County voters will decide whether to implement a sales tax to fill the multimillion-dollar budget shortfall. If approved, the measure would create a four-tenths-of-a-cent sales tax. It would last for 25 years, beginning on April 1, 2027 and ending on March 1, 2051.

According to a written plan, revenue generated by the sales tax would prioritize the new jail’s construction, but it will also fund facility operations, diversion programs, mental health facilities and supporting infrastructure.

👉 Click here to read the full story

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Editor’s note: Links requiring subscriptions have an *.

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