Elections; increasing certain amounts required for certain recounts; requiring reimbursement of certain costs; modifying provisions related to certain petition. Effective date.

SB 962 increases the cash deposit required to request an election recount in Oklahoma. For manual recounts, it raises the cost to $600-$1,000 per 3,000 ballots (or fraction) in affected counties, and for electronic recounts, it sets a base of $600-$800 for the first 3,000 ballots plus $300-$500 for each additional 5,000 ballots. The bill also adds an extra deposit for recounts in races where the margin between top candidates is 10% or more, and requires petitioners to gather signatures from 150 voters (or 1% of votes) for ballot measure recounts. These changes directly affect candidates seeking recounts in races and voters petitioning for recounts on ballot issues.