OKLAHOMA CITY, OK — Amid a surge in outside spending nationwide ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, the Oklahoma legislature has passed a resolution urging Congress to propose a constitutional amendment restoring the authority of Congress and the states to regulate election spending. Oklahoma is the 24th state to take this step.
Earlier this month, the Oklahoma Senate approved the measure unanimously, following unanimous approval in the Oklahoma House of Representatives last year—sending a strong, bipartisan signal that lawmakers want election decisions returned to the states and their elected representatives.
The resolution underscores rising concern about the influence of unlimited and unaccountable money in elections — particularly in state and local races — and a renewed push by states to reclaim decision-making authority from the federal courts.
For decades, federal court rulings have narrowed what states and Congress can do to set election-spending rules — leaving voters and lawmakers with fewer options to protect their elections.
With Oklahoma’s action, 24 states — as varied as Massachusetts and Montana, Alaska and Nevada, West Virginia and California— have now urged Congress to advance a constitutional amendment to restore voters and lawmakers’ ability to set the rules around election spending. Legislatures in over a dozen additional states across the country are actively considering resolutions, reflecting a growing national movement.
“This resolution is about restoring the authority the Constitution leaves with the states,” said Sen. Brent Howard, the resolution’s Senate sponsor. “Oklahomans elect legislators to write election laws that fit Oklahoma — but a long line of federal court decisions has narrowed that authority to the point where commonsense safeguards are often off the table. We’re calling on Congress to propose an amendment that returns these choices to the people of each state, through their elected representatives.”
“Oklahoma’s elections should be decided by the citizens of our state, not by out-of-state billionaires and dark money groups with hidden agendas,” said Rep. Josh West, the Republican House leader and resolution’s sponsor in the House. “Yet, every cycle, millions of untraceable dollars pour into our state, drowning out the voices of real Oklahomans and threatening the integrity of our elections. This measure puts Oklahomans and our values first, making sure that our voices — not megadonors and foreign actors — decide our future.”
Oklahoma is the first state to adopt such a resolution this year, building on momentum from Utah, which passed a similar measure in 2025.
“This is about restoring balance,” said Jeff Clements, CEO of American Promise, which is the organization helping Americans advance the constitutional amendment. “When courts make election policy from the bench, states lose the ability to protect their own elections. A constitutional amendment puts that authority back where it belongs — with the states, with legislatures and, ultimately, with the voters.”
Outside spending in Oklahoma elections has climbed sharply in recent years. In the 2022 election cycle, outside groups — including organizations that do not disclose their donors — spent more than $33.6 million in Oklahoma, according to Oklahoma Ethics Commission data. That rise mirrors a broader national trend: Analysts project the 2026 cycle could become the most expensive midterm on record, fueled by a surge in political advertising.
Federal campaign finance filings also show the cycle is ramping up early, with hundreds of millions raised in the first half of the 2025–26 cycle. National party committees and outside groups are already making early investments that signal record spending for the 2026 midterms.
The U.S. Constitution provides that amendments are proposed by Congress with a two-thirds vote of both chambers and ratified by three-fourths of the states. Unlike ordinary legislation, constitutional amendments are not signed by the president, and state ratification does not require gubernatorial approval.
About American Promise:
After a series of Supreme Court decisions including Citizens United, which opened the floodgates to unlimited political spending, Americans have watched money speak louder than their votes. American Promise is a cross-partisan organization working to pass the For Our Freedom Amendment to restore the power of Congress and the states to set reasonable limits on campaign spending. With 24 states already signaling support, American Promise is building a national movement to put voters back at the center of our elections.
