Last Updated on January 24, 2023, 9:14 AM | Published: January 23, 2023
OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Supreme Court will not hear the appeal of disqualified Ward 2 Oklahoma City Council candidate Chris Cowden.
The court gave notice Monday that they would not agree to assume original jurisdiction and hear Cowden’s appeal to have them force his name back onto the ballot.
Cowden, his attorney, attorneys for the City of Oklahoma City, and members of the Oklahoma County Election Board and their attorneys all presented their positions on the case earlier in the month to the Supreme Court referee who vets petitions first for the court.
In December, the Oklahoma County Election Board voted to strike his name from the ballot when they found that he had violated one part of the City Charter requirements to run for a City Council Ward seat.
That requirement reads: For a Councilmember position representing a ward, the person must have been a registered voter at an address within the ward for at least one year immediately preceding the filing of a declaration of candidacy.
Voting records clearly showed that he had been registered and voting from his parents’ home address in Nichols Hills up through the primaries at the end of June 2022. He filed for the office during the filing period in December, listing an address in Ward 2 as his residence.
The hearing before the Election Board was prompted by an official challenge by incumbent candidate James Cooper who is running for a second term on the OKC City Council representing Ward 2. Two others are in the race against Cooper now that Cowden is out.
Cooper won outright in 2019 with 53% of the vote against four other candidates.
There are now 13 who are running in races for Wards 2, 5, 6, and 8.
Founder, publisher, and editor of Oklahoma City Free Press. Brett continues to contribute reports and photography to this site as he runs the business.
