# City of Shawnee PAVE Forum 10/26/2026

The Pottawatomie County Advocates for Voter Education (PAVE) hosted a nonpartisan candidate forum in Shawnee, Oklahoma, on October 26, 2026. Candidates for District Judge, District 23, Office 2, gave statements, followed by a question-and-answer forum with Oklahoma State Senate District 17 candidates Justin Wood and Ed Bolt. No votes, contract actions, or procurement activity were identified.

The Senate candidates discussed education funding, teacher pay and emergency certifications, private-school vouchers, property taxes, Medicaid expansion and rural health care, childcare access, agricultural meat processing, government spending and transparency, and immigration enforcement. They also differed on whether the state should impose a statewide pause on large data-center projects or leave decisions to local governments; discussion included water supplies, electricity costs, and protections for ratepayers. The judicial candidates addressed court management, timely case resolution, courthouse transparency, impartiality, and their legal experience. The forum was informational, with no formal policy decisions or spending actions taken.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Published:** October 26, 2026

### Sources
- [City of Shawnee PAVE Forum 10/26/2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kHrVFupbko) - City of Shawnee Oklahoma