“It’s important to recognize that the intent was to publish the information,” Peters said. “What we’re trying to do is make sure the will of the voters is upheld.”

Tulsa World Publisher Bill Masterson said, “The formal paid legal notice was only published once by the Tulsa World. We are looking into what happened as we are unsure exactly what occurred.”

To resolve the matter, the World is studying plans to take legal action in Tulsa County District Court. In essence, the World will be asking a judge to determine that the notices of the April 5 election were valid.

Masterson said the World believes the notices to the public are in compliance or “substantial compliance” with the law because the vote was heavily publicized in many ways, including stories in the World, tulsaworld.com and direct mail.

Substantial compliance has been ruled sufficient to uphold the validity of similar elections in the past, according to attorney Schaad Titus, who represents the Tulsa World.

If the court finds the election invalid, a second election may be required.