These go up to 11: Sorting the State Questions on the November Ballot

David Blatt // September 6, 2010 // Updated: May 2, 2019
OK Policy Articles & Research // //

Oklahoma voters have the great good fortune this November to decide the fate of no less than 11 proposed constitutional amendments on matters ranging from education funding and health care reform to judicial nominations and (we kid you not) Sharia law. For the confused voter – which means you, me and everyone else – here are some resources on the ballot measures that may be helpful in understanding these issues and making informed decisions. We will keep the State Ballot Question page of our website updated as additional information and resources become available.

OVERVIEWS

The State Election Board has compiled all eleven state questions into a single PDF document.

These websites provide helpful overviews of all the measures on November’s ballot:

  • The Secretary of State lists each proposed state question, along with the short title that will appear on the ballot. You may also view the full text of the document by selecting the corresponding Adobe PDF icon.
  • Ballotpedia provides a list of the questions and links to additional information on each one.

INDIVIDUAL QUESTIONS

For each question, we link to the Ballotpedia article and full text of the measure from the Secretary of State’s website. Where available, we’ve identified selected additional information and analysis, including pieces we have published and analysis by two journalists – Wayne Greene, an editor of the Tulsa World, and Patrick McGuigan, editor of CapitolBeatOK.com – who have published columns on several ballot measures.

State Question 744: Amount of money the State provide common schools

State Question 746: Voter Identification, proof of identity

State Question 747: Limiting term of office of certain elected officials

State Question 748: Apportionment Commission changing to Bipartisan Commission on Legislative Apportionment

State Question 750: Initiative and Referendum Designation of signature percentage base

State Question 751: Providing that the English language is the common and unifying language of Oklahoma

State Question 752: Modifying the composition of the Judicial Nominating Commission

State Question 754: Providing the Legislature shall not be required to make expenditures for any function of government using a predetermined formula of any kind or by reference to the expenditure levels of any other state government or any other entity.

State Question 755:  Courts to rely on federal and state laws when deciding cases forbidding courts from looking at international law or Sharia Law.

State Question 756: Health Care System

State Question 757: Constitutional Reserve Fund

Alas, the voters will not have a say on one raging state controversy –  the Flaming Lips’ Do You Realize was officially designated the official state rock song by an Executive Order of Governor Brad Henry and will not be on the November ballot.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

David Blatt // dblatt@okpolicy.org

Former Executive Director David Blatt joined OK Policy in 2008 and served as its Executive Director from 2010 to 2019. He previously served as Director of Public Policy for Community Action Project of Tulsa County and as a budget analyst for the Oklahoma State Senate. He has a Ph.D. in political science from Cornell University and a B.A. from the University of Alberta. David has been selected as Political Scientist of the Year by the Oklahoma Political Science Association, Local Social Justice Champion by the Dan Allen Center for Social Justice, and Public Citizen of the Year by the National Association of Social Workers.

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