OKLAHOMA CITY — Voters on Nov. 8 will decide the fate of seven state questions.
They range from a proposed 1-cent increase in the sales tax to fund education to modernizing the state’s alcohol laws.
Lawmakers placed four of the questions on the ballot through legislative referendums, while voters stuck three others on the ballot through the initiative petition process.
One of the more controversial is State Question 777, a measure that would make it more difficult for lawmakers to pass regulations governing farming and ranching.
Supporters call it the Right to Farm, while critics call it the Right to Harm for fear it could lead to pollution and inhumane treatment for animals.
The measure was backed by the Oklahoma Farm Bureau. Farmers both support and oppose the measure.
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Supporters say it is needed to fend off out-of-state groups that want to pass regulations on the industry that would drive up costs.
Critics said it is a solution in search of a problem and would benefit large agricultural corporations to the detriment of the family farm.
Another widely publicized measure on the ballot is State Question 779, which asks voters to raise the state sales tax by a penny to benefit education, including a $5,000 teacher pay raise.
Supporters say it is needed to stop the exodus of teachers leaving the state for better pay in surrounding states and to increase programs for education. University of Oklahoma President David Boren led efforts to get it on the ballot.
Critics, such as the Municipal League, fear it will hurt efforts to fund local governments, which have the sales tax as the sole source of income.
The measure, if approved, would push the state to one of the highest if not the highest sales tax rates in the nation.
Another controversial measure is State Question 790, which would remove the Oklahoma constitutional prohibition of using state property or money for religious purposes.
The measure was written after the Oklahoma Supreme Court cited the provision in an opinion directing the removal of a privately funded Ten Commandments Monument from the Capitol grounds.
Perhaps less controversial is a measure that attempts to address Oklahoma’s archaic alcohol laws.
State Question 792 would allow grocery and convenience stores to sell wine and strong, cold beer. The legislation putting it on the ballot was viewed as a key accomplishment during the most recent legislative session.
“Oklahoma has made virtually no changes to our liquor laws since the repeal of prohibition in 1959,” said Sen. Stephanie Bice, R-Edmond, who pushed modernization efforts.
“Being one of only five states left mandating the sale of 3.2 beer, Oklahomans know it is time to move to a single-strength beer system and for the ability to buy wine in grocery and convenience stores like dozens of other states currently allow,” Bice said.
“State Question 792 will give them the changes they’ve been demanding.”
Lawmakers also put a death penalty measure on the ballot following high-profile problems with the state’s execution process. State Question 776 essentially reaffirms what is already in law. It also declares that the death penalty can’t be declared cruel or unusual under the Oklahoma Constitution.
The two remaining state questions, 780 and 781, are criminal justice reform measures that hope to help curb the state’s prison population and send the savings to treatment programs. Former House Speaker Kris Steele, R-Shawnee, led efforts to get them on the ballot.
Twitter: @bhoberock
