Endorsement Survey for State Offices 2010

Name & Office: Zachary Knight, Independent, State Representative, House District 46

1.1 Oklahoma Drivers License & Retention of Biometric Data: What is your opinion on requiring
Oklahomans to provide digital finger prints and a biometric facial recognition picture in order to
be allowed to operate a motor vehicle in Oklahoma? What is your opinion on storing said
information in a database?

I think that the state or federal government have no business requesting any such data. The government
has no reason to collect any such data without probably cause and a warrant. Requesting a drivers
license is not probable cause.

1.2 What is your opinion on using any automated system to monitor residents of Oklahoma for
violations of law without probably cause? Examples would include the use of ALPR (automatic
license-plate reading) technology and the use of facial recognition cameras to monitor
participation in lawful demonstrations.

I lived in Arizona for several years and experienced the automated speed and red light cameras. While I
am sure those systems brought in quite a bit of revenue for the contractors who operated them, but not so
much for the police departments. What is really worrisome about such systems is their inability to make
judgment calls and read context of individual situations. The state should avoid such situations as they
would bring on additional burden on the people while not increasing revenue for our underfunded police
departments.

1.3 What is your opinion on any law that would require electronic communication providers
(Example: ISPs, cell phone, TV) to monitor activities of Oklahomans, keep a log/database of this
information, and make it available to legislators or law enforcement officials upon request. Should
a warrant be required to initiate collection of such information, or should companies be required
to keep logs of all users and pass on collected information after a warrant has been issued?

Such laws are a violation of our fourth amendment right to protection from unreasonable searches and
seizures. Any such monitoring should be required to have a warrant with probable cause.

1.4 Please feel free to add any comments regarding your position on issues dealing with privacy
that are affecting the people of Oklahoma. If you are running for re-election please include
examples of bills that you have supported or opposed that would have affected the privacy rights
of Oklahomans.

This coming November, Oklahoma is presenting a question on the ballot for the people to vote on. This
question asks whether voters should be required to present valid government issue ID in order to
exercise their right to elect their representatives. This would cause more problems than it would solve. It
would prevent many poor, elderly and disabled individuals from being able to vote in order to prevent
fraud that is not currently a problem. Any valid vote we turn away is more valuable than any fraud we
might prevent.

2.1 Should Oklahoma law enforcements agencies be exempt from providing copies of video/audio
footage in response to a Freedom of Information Act request if said footage is currently being
used for “internal investigations”? What do you consider a reasonable time frame for complying
with a FOIA request?
There are cases where releasing such information could be damaging to an investigation. Any such
request should be reviewed carefully, but by an independent body such as a judge in the case of police
evidence. But any such video or audio footage should be made available to anyone related to the footage
or incident involved.

2.2 What are your thoughts on recent legislation passed by states making it a crime to videotape
law enforcement officials in public places?

Oklahoma is a one party consent state, meaning that only one side of a conversation being recorded
whether in audio or video is required to consent to the recording. Any attempt to change those laws would
violate our rights and a needed protection for the people. Our police force are public servants and they
should be accountable to the people they serve. Retaining our one party consent status would allow the
people to protect themselves from corruption and abuse.

“Records of the legislature or of individual legislators are not subject to the [Open
Records] Act except for records kept and maintained on receipt and expenditure of
any public funds reflecting all financial and business transactions relating
thereto.” 51 Okla. Stat. Supp. 2005 Art. 14A.3.2

2.3 What is your opinion on the current wording of the Oklahoma Open Records Act and the
Oklahoma Open Meeting Act and the exception provided for the Legislature of Oklahoma as
stated in Oklahoma Statues?

All city, county and school government and agencies are required to comply with the open records act.
There is not reason why our Legislative branch should not be held to the exact same standard. In order to
hold our legislative members accountable, we need to have an open and accurate record of what they are
doing in office. I can see a need to protect correspondence with individuals of a legislator’s constituency,
but any correspondence with registered lobbyists, state agencies and other legislators should be open to
public scrutiny.

2.4 What are your opinion regarding current regulations regarding lobbying in the State of
Oklahoma? What are your plans for making sure that your time in office will be as transparent as
possible?

The state has made great strides in reducing lobbyist influence in the capital by reducing the amount a
lobbyist can gift to members of the legislature. But the state should provide protection for legislators who
do not wish to receive any gifts. Such efforts have been blocked in the past. I plan to work with other
members of the Legislative Branch and implement a “No Gift List” that would make it illegal for lobbyists
to give gifts to any legislator who has put their name on that list.

2.5 Please feel free to add any comments regarding your position on issues affecting
transparency that are facing the people of Oklahoma. If you are running for re-election please
include examples of bills that you have supported or opposed that would have affected
Transparency in Government.

While in office, I plan on writing legislation what would require the rewriting of our current bill tracking
rd
software to a more user friendly format and opening the API so that 3 parties can write their own
software to use this information. The information what will be made available would be the bill language,
all amendments to a bill, result from committees, and all votes made on the legislation.

3.1 Currently many sources rank Oklahoma as having the worst Ballot Access laws in the nation.
What is your opinion on the current status of Ballot Access in Oklahoma? Are you satisfied with
the current Ballot Access status in Oklahoma? If you are not satisfied with the current laws, what
are your goals for improving Ballot Access in our State?
As an independent, I am affected directly by Oklahoma’s current Ballot Access laws. I have come to
realize that yes they are the most restrictive and there is no reason to keep them as is, other than
reducing competition for incumbent parties. When elected, I plan on working with other legislators in
writing and passing sweeping reform in the state. This will include reducing the required number of
signatures to 500 as it was prior to 1974 and changing ballot access laws to remove language that writes
the incumbent parties into law.

3.2 If you are running for re-election, what was your vote for HB 1072? Why did you vote that way?

-no response-

3.3 If you are running for re-election and served on the reconciliation committee, did you sing to
move HB 1072 forward? What was your motivation for signing/not signing?

-no response-

3.4 Are you satisfied with the current primary process in Oklahoma? What is your opinion
regarding “open” primaries?

We need to move from a party runoff system to an instant runoff system, at least. I would prefer primary
elections to be returned to the parties and remove government control and influence from them. In
regards to “open” primaries, I think our current system of allowing the registered parties to allow
independents to vote if desired, is adequate as long as we remove the unnecessary and unfair hurdles
placed in front of new parties.

3.5 Please feel free to add any additional comments you might have regarding Ballot Access
Reform in Oklahoma.

Our government is a government by the people for the people. By placing obstacles in the way of forming
new parties, the people are unable to change the government in meaningful ways when they feel the
government is not serving their best interests. We need to change our laws to allow for the people to
control more closely who represents them in the government.

4.1 What is your opinion regarding research being done in Oklahoma using public funding?
Should the data obtained through research that is financed with public funding be available for
use by all Oklahoma Agencies? Should private citizens in Oklahoma have access to data obtained
with public funding?

Publicly funded research should be done for nonprofit public use. The information should be made
available for use by all state agencies that require that information and should be open for public use with
reasonable payment to cover the cost of said research. There payments should be placed back into
public funds for the use of further research or other state use if needed.

4.2 How do you feel bio-patents affect Oklahoma's ability to stay competitive as an agricultural
state?

The patent system is fraught with problems not foreseen by those who originally wrote them. Patents on
software, genes and business processes and other tangible goods as well as vague patents have all
been introduced in the last few decades and have not received the necessary legislative review. Many of
these patents are gained with the sole purpose of stifling innovation rather than promoting it. As such any
such patent could damage the ability for any industry to compete on fair grounds.

4.3 Please add any final thoughts you might have.

From what I know, the Pirate Party supports open government and fair access to information. I support
those platforms and will work to bring those goals about.