From the Tulsa World:

Gov. Brad Henry’s veto of legislation designed to strengthen Oklahoma’s initiative petition process amounts to “a slap to the face of citizens who want to petition their government,” the head of a nonprofit group that promotes accountability in state government said Monday.

“In a year when initiative petition reform bills got overwhelming support in the Legislature, Governor Henry decided that he would play Supreme Court justice with his veto pen,” said Brian Downs, executive director of Oklahomans for Responsible Government.

The measure, vetoed by Henry shortly before the 2009 Oklahoma Legislature adjourned last month, would have extended the time that petition circulators have to gather signatures from 90 days to one year and provided new protection for circulators from being harassed by opponents.

In his veto message, the governor said that while the bill “contains several good provisions,” a section that gives additional rights to circulators also “takes away the rights of other citizens.”

Among other things, the bill would have made it a crime for a person to interrupt a conversation between a circulator and a potential signer, touch a petition or promotional material without the permission of a circulator or shout in the presence of a circulator to express opposition to the initiative…Read the Rest