William Ratley
From Ballotpedia
This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.
William Ratley (Republican Party) ran for election to the Oklahoma House of Representatives to represent District 65. He lost in the Republican primary on June 18, 2024.
Ratley completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
William Ratley was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. Ratley served in the U.S. Army from 1983 to 2004. His career experience includes working in communications, electronics, and managing computer networks.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Oklahoma House of Representatives elections, 2024
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Oklahoma House of Representatives District 65
Incumbent Toni Hasenbeck won election outright against William Ratley in the Republican primary for Oklahoma House of Representatives District 65 on June 18, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Toni Hasenbeck | 59.9 | 1,498 |
 | William Ratley  | 40.1 | 1,002 | |
| Total votes: 2,500 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Ratley in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
William Ratley completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Ratley's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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I was born in Shreveport, Louisiana when my father was stationed in the Air Force. I graduated High School in Anchorage, Alaska and soon moved to Marshall, Texas. I began my early work history helping my grandfather at his Gas Station/Garage in Marshall, TX, then worked as a welder at a Railway Company, near Marshall, then a Steel Company in Longview, TX. In 1980, I moved to New Iberia, Louisiana and began work in the Gulf of Mexico working on oil rigs and production platforms. In 1983, I joined the Air Force and was stationed at Shaw Air Force Base, SC. There I worked on Avionics Electronics for the F-4, C-5 and some components for the SR-71 aircraft. After 4 years of active duty, I left the Air Force and Joined the Army, working on Communications and Electronics. My last years in the Army was managing approximately half of the Computer Network on Fort Sill, OK. I retired from the Army at Fort Sill, OK as a Sergeant First Class (E-7) in 2004 after 20 years of Active Duty, while living near Fort Cobb, OK and moved near Apache, OK in 2005. I continued to serve as a civilian contractor maintaining computers until 2011.
I have been married to my wonderful wife, Donna for over 20 years and we share a blended family of 5 children, 20 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
I have never aspired to be a politician, but I feel the voice of the people is not being heard and I hope to make a difference. I intend on listening to the concerns of District 65 and try to resolve them.- The issues that I am most interested in are our God given or natural human rights, which include life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all faiths. These rights should be protected by our government, as our government should be taking orders from the citizens, not ordering or mandating to our citizens. The Bill of Rights was written to protect the rights of the citizens from the government and other people. For far too long, our lawmakers have been whittling away at our rights, bit by bit. This needs to be reversed. This is why I am for limited government.
- I am committed to creating an environment that promotes financial success for all. This includes tax cuts for individuals and small businesses. If we lower the cost of doing business, this will attract more business to help the community thrive.
- I am committed to bringing transparency back to our government. We need transparency and accountability to ensure our government reflects the values of District 65. Our government is run by the consent of the people and the people cannot consent to that which is hidden. All of our government processes should be held in the open without executive sessions.
Safeguarding life and property rights. Ensuring the integrity of our vote with "hand-marked" and "hand-counted" ballots on Election Day. Reducing taxes through the elimination of government overspending and waste. Upholding Parental Rights. Defending our "God-Given" rights by preventing any infringement on our "Bill of Rights". Strengthening measures on preventing illegal immigration. Restoring trust and transparency in our government.
My father is the greatest example of who I would like to follow. He is the most honorable man I know.
I am unable to think of one right now.
I consider integrity, transparency, and accountability to be the most crucial qualities for an elected official. Integrity ensures they act ethically and honestly, maintaining the trust of their constituents. Transparency is essential for open and honest communication with the public. Accountability means taking responsibility for actions and decisions while being responsive to the community's needs.
I try to live my life with honesty and integrity.
The primary duties of this office encompass enacting laws through research, drafting, and voting on bills, with a constant focus on the needs of their districts. Representatives serve their constituents by addressing requests for assistance within their districts. They play a crucial role in the state budget process by allocating funds for public services and infrastructure initiatives. Additionally, the legislature carries out a supervisory role over the executive branch.
I hope that my children and grandchildren will remember me as someone who was bold and courageous, someone who did everything possible to leave them a world that was better than the one I encountered.
The earliest historic event that I can think of as a child was in 1968 while I was 7 years old. We were living in Japan, as my father was stationed there in the Air Force. In May of 1968 there was an extremely bad earthquake of 8.2 magnitude with many aftershocks to follow. I remember the destruction of the surrounding communities and how the community came together to help one another carry water and other goods that the United States Military brought in.
My first job was working for my grandfather when I was 10 years old. He owned a Gas Station and a Garage. He taught me various aspects of the job and trained me to be a hard worker and courteous to the customers. I had that job every summer for 6 years.
If the governor is aligned with the wishes of the people of the state, then an amicable relationship between the governor and the state legislature would be possible. If not then unfortunately, there would be the need for an adversarial relationship between the governor and the legislature because at the end of the day, the representative is representing the concerns of his/her district.
I see the ever-increasing reliance on computers, Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technologies in our state, while eases access to information and can increase the speed and efficiency which processes are completed this also makes the state more vulnerable to bad actors. I see this as one of the greatest challenges facing us over the next decade.
I believe that state legislators might benefit from experience in government to understand the working process, but I also believe that state legislators need to be filled primarily with the average citizen, to bring forth new ideas and different perspectives from different walks of life.
I do believe it could be beneficial to build working relationships with other legislators. It could create an atmosphere for sharing ideas and creating solutions that could benefit the residents of your prospective districts.
I don’t have a particular legislator that I would model myself after. I consider our many historical figures that contributed to our protected freedoms and would rather pick portions of those examples.
I am not interested in running for another office in the future.
One of the main reasons I am a candidate is that I have heard many stories from the residents in my district that they are tired of their legislators not returning their phone calls, emails or letters when they have concerns about a particular issue. I hope to bring the voice back to the residents of my district.
The legislator should absolutely oversee any use of emergency powers. This is a necessary oversight function of the legislature. The legislature plays an important role in ensuring these powers are not abused and do not undermine the separation of powers between the executive branch of the state. The legislature must ensure the state does not intrude on the rights of citizens.
I would like to introduce a bill that returns our method of voting back to hand-marked, hand-counted ballots, done on “Election Day”. There is no transparency in our current process of voting. We are simply told to “trust” the system. There is no way for the voter to know for sure if his/her vote was counted in the current process. The tabulators and computers are utilized to count and accumulate the votes, without the voter having any idea how this is done inside these machines.
As a Veteran myself, I am interested in the Veteran and Military Affairs Committee to ensure our Veterans are represented in the committee. I also am interested in the Election and Ethics Committee as I understand our election process is fundamental to protecting the people’s voice.
Financial transparency and government accountability are crucial. The public must have the ability to trust the government they elect. It is essential for citizens to have the means to verify the actions of their officials.
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Campaign finance summary
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See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on April 24, 2024
Current members of the Oklahoma House of Representatives
Leadership
Speaker of the House:Kyle Hilbert
Majority Leader:Mark Lawson
Representatives
District 1
Eddy Dempsey (R)
District 2
Jim Olsen (R)
District 3
Rick West (R)
District 4
Bob Culver (R)
District 5
Josh West (R)
District 6
Rusty Cornwell (R)
District 7
Steve Bashore (R)
District 8
Tom Gann (R)
District 9
Mark Lepak (R)
District 10
Judd Strom (R)
District 11
John Kane (R)
District 12
Mark Chapman (R)
District 13
Neil Hays (R)
District 14
Chris Sneed (R)
District 15
Tim Turner (R)
District 16
Scott Fetgatter (R)
District 17
Jim Grego (R)
District 18
David Smith (R)
District 19
Justin Humphrey (R)
District 20
Jonathan Wilk (R)
District 21
Cody Maynard (R)
District 22
Ryan Eaves (R)
District 23
District 24
Chris Banning (R)
District 25
Ronny Johns (R)
District 26
Dell Kerbs (R)
District 27
Danny Sterling (R)
District 28
Danny Williams (R)
District 29
Kyle Hilbert (R)
District 30
Mark Lawson (R)
District 31
Collin Duel (R)
District 32
Jim Shaw (R)
District 33
Molly Jenkins (R)
District 34
Trish Ranson (D)
District 35
Vacant
District 36
John George (R)
District 37
Ken Luttrell (R)
District 38
John Pfeiffer (R)
District 39
Erick Harris (R)
District 40
Chad Caldwell (R)
District 41
Denise Hader (R)
District 42
Cynthia Roe (R)
District 43
Jay Steagall (R)
District 44
Jared Deck (D)
District 45
Annie Menz (D)
District 46
Jacob Rosecrants (D)
District 47
Brian Hill (R)
District 48
Tammy Townley (R)
District 49
Josh Cantrell (R)
District 50
Stacy Adams (R)
District 51
Brad Boles (R)
District 52
Gerrid Kendrix (R)
District 53
Jason Blair (R)
District 54
Kevin West (R)
District 55
Nick Archer (R)
District 56
Dick Lowe (R)
District 57
Anthony Moore (R)
District 58
Carl Newton (R)
District 59
Mike Dobrinski (R)
District 60
Mike Kelley (R)
District 61
District 62
Daniel Pae (R)
District 63
Hurchel Caldwell (R)
District 64
Rande Worthen (R)
District 65
Toni Hasenbeck (R)
District 66
Clay Staires (R)
District 67
Rob Hall (R)
District 68
Mike Lay (R)
District 69
Mark Tedford (R)
District 70
District 71
Amanda Clinton (D)
District 72
Michelle McCane (D)
District 73
Ron Stewart (D)
District 74
Kevin Norwood (R)
District 75
T. Marti (R)
District 76
Ross Ford (R)
District 77
John Waldron (D)
District 78
Meloyde Blancett (D)
District 79
District 80
Stan May (R)
District 81
Mike Osburn (R)
District 82
Nicole Miller (R)
District 83
Eric Roberts (R)
District 84
Tammy West (R)
District 85
Cyndi Munson (D)
District 86
David Hardin (R)
District 87
Ellyn Hefner (D)
District 88
Ellen Pogemiller (D)
District 89
District 90
Emily Gise (R)
District 91
Chris Kannady (R)
District 92
Forrest Bennett (D)
District 93
Mickey Dollens (D)
District 94
Andy Fugate (D)
District 95
Max Wolfley (R)
District 96
Preston Stinson (R)
District 97
District 98
Gabe Woolley (R)
District 99
Ajay Pittman (D)
District 100
Marilyn Stark (R)
District 101
Robert Manger (R)
Republican Party (80)
Democratic Party (20)
Vacancies (1)
