{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-11-11-16-311","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 11, § 11-16-311","heading":"Petition alleging fraud - Bond - Hearing - Answer -","body":"Judgment - Ineligibility for office - Liability of contestant -\n\nDamages.\n\nWhen a petition alleging fraud is filed, said petition must be\n\naccompanied by a cash bond of Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00),\n\nrunning in favor of the contestee and conditioned upon payment of\n\nany and all liabilities or judgments arising from the contest so\n\nfiled. In said petition, contestant must allege the specific act\n\nconstituting such alleged fraud and the names of the alleged\n\nperpetrators of such fraud. If such petition is filed in the manner\n\nherein provided, the district judge of the county in which the\n\nalleged fraud occurred, or such other judge as may be assigned by\n\nthe Supreme Court, shall hear and determine said issue without delay\n\nor continuance of more than one (1) day. On the day of such\n\nhearing, the contestee may file answer to such petition or may file\n\ncross petition, setting forth in detail, as required of a petitioner\n\nherein, such claim of fraud. An original petition or cross petition\n\nmust be under oath and under penalty of perjury. The judge shall try\n\nand determine the issues formed by such pleadings and render such\n\njudgment as he or she may deem just and proper, according to the\n\nevidence submitted. The decision of said district judge shall be\n\nfinal as to any changes in the total votes, and a copy of such\n\njudgment and decision shall be furnished the officer who presided at\n\nthe town meeting. In any case where fraud is proved on the part of a\n\nnominee, he or she shall be declared ineligible for the office for\n\nwhich he or she was nominated. In all cases where a petition is\n\nfiled which alleges fraud, but after hearing said allegations are\n\nnot reasonably sustained by competent evidence, the contestant shall\n\nbe civilly liable in damages to the contestee for all damages\n\nsustained, including a reasonable attorney fee and all reasonable\n\nand proper costs of conducting such contest; and in the event it be\n\nalleged and found that such petition was frivolous in nature, the\n\ncontestee may also be allowed punitive damages to be paid by said\n\npetitioner.","path":["OK Code","Title 11"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os11.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"504622905fec92f52fae87de7ecff50570fe5896479f9e1b9e837ff0cffcf532","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-11-11-16-310","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-11-11-16-312"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}