Election results kept civic leaders on the edge of their seats when it came to the “Yes ‘Em All” bond issues presented to Oklahoma City voters on July 16, 1968. Just a couple months earlier, a similar set of propositions failed at the polls. But a second run resulted in passage of 11 of 12 issues. And the downtown convention center was one of the closet votes yet – it passed by just 37 votes.

And yet on this week, 40 years ago, the fate of the bond issue was still in question. It was a huge election victory – but would it stand up in a court of law?

Celebrations over a $111.4 million bond issue victory at the poll gave way to legal wrangling in the summer of 1968 as S. Dale Rorem and the Oklahoma Taxpayers Association charged that some votes were improperly counted. District Judge Fenton Ramey then found errors were made, but not willfully. He concluded the election was valid. But Rorem, represented by attorney Gary Shores sought to appeal the ruling to the State Supreme Court. In mid-September, Chief Justice Floyd Jackson told both sides to try to settle their differences. The State Attorney General’s office, meanwhile, certified the election results – a ruling that ultimately would survive further challenges.

So how much was riding on this election? Commercials from the election like the one above, fortunately, are posted on YouTube. More are shown below: