After three months without a fully functioning campaign finance system, the Oklahoma Ethics Commission on Friday voted to immediately terminate the vendor’s contract and to authorize pursuing legal action.

The Commission terminated the contract with RFD and Associates and authorized the Attorney General’s Office to seek legal remedies against the company. The board also voted to reinstate the original Guardian system operated by the previous vendor, Civix. The Commission voted to enter into a $217,000 contract with Carahsoft, a partner of Civix, that lasts three years.

Within hours of the vote, the original campaign finance system was once again operational and accessible to the public.

The Commission said it voted to terminate RFD and Associates’ contract after repeated delays in launching new software, including a public-facing portion of the system which allows people to examine lobbyist and candidate expenditures, track campaign donors and view who intends to run for office. The Commission was appropriated a total of $2.2 million for the project to replace Guardian.

The ongoing issues also left candidates, lobbyists and political action committees unable to submit some reports and documentation amid the approaching 2026 election cycle.

The old Guardian system was initially taken offline in September and was set to launch in October, but officials said there were “unforeseen” delays in the data conversion process. The new system still appeared largely inoperable heading into Friday’s meeting.

Scott Glover, the chief operating officer for RFD and Associates, declined to comment immediately following the Commission’s vote as he left the meeting quickly after the vote.

Civix did not immediately return a request for comment.

Lee Anne Bruce Boone, executive director of the Ethics Commission, previously said the timeline for replacing Guardian wasn’t set by the Commission as Civix had established the shutdown date for the old system, and RFD and Associates had committed to replacing it within the established window.

She said Friday afternoon that the switch back to Civix isn’t necessarily a permanent fix, but it will provide sufficient time to seek legal remedies and pursue next steps.

Bruce Boone said Civix had experienced a change in leadership, which made it possible to continue the old partnership.

“We are signing a 3-year contract, knowing that we cannot do anything to change the system or explore an opportunity next year during the election cycle,” she said. “We must ensure all our focus is on transparency over the next 12 months. After that, this gives us two additional years to find a more perma(See nent solution.”

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond said in a statement Friday that he will work to hold RFD and Associates “accountable to the law.”

“I take very seriously my role to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent fairly and appropriately,” Drummond said. “My office stands ready to take legal action to recover damages, hold those responsible accountable and work with the Ethics Commission to ensure the public has a reliable means to access campaign finance reports.”