Published: June 13, 2008 11:46 pm            

House hopeful cannot run, board says; 2nd candidate pulls out

Two men who filed earlier this month to unseat District 41 state Rep. John Enns won’t get that chance.

Enns, R-Enid, filed challenges against Democrat Noah S. Ynclan and Republican Matt Cooper, claiming they had not been registered voters in District 41 for the re-quired six months before filing.

Oklahoma State Election Board agreed Friday in the case of Ynclan, of Enid, and removed him from the ballot. Cooper, of Yukon, had withdrawn earlier, according to an Election Board Secretary Mike Clingman.

According to Garfield Coun-ty Election Board records, Ynclan registered May 7, not even one month before the June 2-4 filing period. Records in Canadian County showed Cooper registered Jan. 8, only four days shy of the six-month deadline.

Neither Ynclan nor Collins could be reached for comment Friday.

The election board decision leaves no Democrat candidate on the ballot in District 41.

Enns, though, will have a primary opponent in his attempt at a second term in the House. He will face Dwain Jindra, of Kingfisher, in the Republican primary July 29, with the winner facing independent Scott Cooper, of Lahoma, in the Nov. 4 general election.

District 41 includes parts of Garfield, Kingfisher, Canadian and Oklahoma counties.



Corporation Commission challenge postponed



Meanwhile, the state Election Board postponed hearing a challenge to a Corporation Commission candidate after two members of the three-member board recused themselves.

Board members Tom Prince, of Edmond, and Ramon Watkins, of Tulsa, each stepped aside Friday from hearing the challenge against Corporation Commission candidate Dana Murphy. They did not give a reason for recusing themselves from the case.

Clingman said Gov. Brad Henry will appoint two other people to hear the case with the remaining board member, Susan Turpen, of Oklahoma City. The hearing is rescheduled for Monday morning.

The challenge was filed by state Rep. Rob Johnson, who is opposing Murphy for the Republican nomination for a two-year, unexpired term on the Corporation Commission. Johnson is giving up his District 59 seat in the state House to make the run for the organization that regulates utilities in Oklahoma.

Johnson said Murphy altered a notarized document by signing her name differently than it appeared on her filing declaration of candidacy form.

“We’re challenging over not properly following the rules,” Johnson said during a stop in Enid Friday. “Ms. Murphy couldn’t follow those rules. It’s pretty important in a position where we’re going to be interpreting and enforcing the laws.”

In a press release, Murphy said the challenge was based on the election board secretary requesting her to sign her name as Dana Murphy, instead of Dana L. Murphy, if she wanted to be shown on the ballot as Dana Murphy.

“It is disappointing that my opponent would stoop to such political pettiness, since it has been the practice at the election board throughout its history to assist candidates and ensure that their declarations of candidacy are properly completed prior to their filing,” Murphy said. “Already we’ve discovered that other candidates have done the same on their filings.”