By Constitution Staff

Oklahoman’s have voted on over 400 State Questions since statehood. Proposals can be placed on the ballot through the initiative petition process by collecting the signatures of a sufficient number of voters. One such initiative appeared on June 16 Primary ballot this year and was defeated. Another is in the early stages of the initiative process and has not yet been approved to collect signatures. State Questions can also be initiated by the Legislature with passage of a resolution in both chambers, and do not require approval of the governor. All registered voters are eligible to vote on State Questions, regardless of political party registration.

LEGISLATURE SENDS PROPOSALS TO VOTERS

Two measures submitted to state voters by the Legislature appeared on the August 25 Runoff Primary ballot, and two more will be on the November 3, General Election ballot. Placing such measures on a non-November ballot requires a two-thirds majority vote from both chambers of the state legislature. State Questions initiated by the Oklahoma Legislature are sent to the Secretary of State to set the number for the State Question. Of the two State Questions on the August 25 Runoff ballot, state voters defeated one and approved the other.

State Question 844 – Ad Valorem Tax Exemption Reimbursement

House Joint Resolution 1087 by Rep. Kile Hilbert (R-Bristow) and Sen. Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) proposed a constitutional amendment to Section 6B of Article X of the Oklahoma Constitution relating to the five-year ad valorem tax exemption for qualifying manufacturing concerns. The manufacturing plant property tax exemption was created when voters approved State Question 588 in April of 1985. The proposal considered by voters this year would have modified the provisions approved by voters in 1985.

Under the current language, the Constitution requires the Legislature to provide reimbursement to local tax jurisdictions for the ad valorem revenue lost as a result of the manufacturing exemption. The proposal would instead have allowed the Legislature to establish in statute the levels and methodologies used to determine reimbursement amounts. The proposal also specified that the assessed valuation of property exempt pursuant to this section be added to the assessed valuation of taxable property for purposes of computing the limit on indebtedness of political subdivisions.

State Question 844 was overwhelming defeated in the August 25, 2026 election. There were only 138,814 votes (26.26%) for the proposal, and 389,886 votes (73.74%) against. Oklahoma voters typically vote against measures that the ramifications are not easily understood, and that was likely the culprit with this measure. And, opponents charged that the laws that might be passed by the Legislature could result in lower reimbursements to the local tax jurisdictions.

State Question 846 – Proof of Identity in Voting

Senate Joint Resolution 47 by Rep. Kile Hilbert (R-Bristow) and Sen. Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) proposed to add Section 6 to Article III of the Oklahoma Constitution to require Proof of Identity in Voting for any election authorized by law and conducted by a county election board or the State Election Board. The measure requires the Legislature to enact laws to specify requirements for proof of identity for voting.

While proof of identity for voting is currently required by Oklahoma statutes, it could be repealed by the Oklahoma Legislature. By placing the requirement in the state Constitution, it can only be repealed by another statewide vote of the people, not by a majority vote of legislators. Currently, proof of identity is defined in state law as a document issued by the U.S. government, the state of Oklahoma, or a federally recognized Native American tribe that includes a voter’s name, photo, and an expiration date in the future. If the document is valid indefinitely, or it was issued by the armed forces, an expiration date is not required.

State Question 844 was approved by voters on August 25, 2026. There were 292,599 votes (54.61%) for the measure, and 243,159 (45.39%) against. The measure was actively opposed by the Oklahoma Democratic Party.

Two more State Questions submitted by the Legislature will appear on the November General Election ballot:

State Question 845 – Judicial Nominating Commission

House Joint Resolution 1024 by Rep. Anthony Moore (R-Clinton) and Sen. Todd Gollihare (R-Bristow) proposes a constitutional amendment to Section 3 of Article VII-B of the Oklahoma Constitution modifying the appointment process for the Judicial Nominating Commission(JNC). It will appear on the November 3, 2026 ballot as State Question 845.

The JNC nominates candidates for state judges and justices to the governor when vacancies occur. The commission identifies three candidates for the specified office and sends the three nominations to the governor, who then appoints the individual to the office. The JNC consists of 15 members. The governor, the speaker of the House, the Senate president pro tempore, other members of the commission, and the Oklahoma Bar Association nominate or elect members to the commission.

If approved by the voters, the proposed measure requires the six members appointed by the Governor to serve a term of six years and that at least one be from each congressional district as they exist as of the date of appointment. The three at-large members are to serve two-year terms. The six members appointed by the Oklahoma Bar Association are to serve six-year terms. The measure would remove restrictions related to the three at-large members concerning being a lawyer or having an immediate family member who is a lawyer. It would remove the restriction that no more than three commissioners appointed by the governor be from the same political party and that no more than two at-large commissioners be from the same political party. The measure limits commissioners from serving more than 12 years.

State Question 847 – Homestead Property Tax Cap

Senate Joint Resolution 39 by Sen. Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) and Rep. Kile Hilbert (R-Bristow) proposes amendments to the state Constitution that would lower the caps on annual increases in the fair cash value of property and create a tiered system to better protect seniors from rising property taxes. Under the proposal, the current cap on annual increases in a property’s fair cash value, which is used to calculate taxes, would be lowered. For homestead and agricultural property, the cap would drop from 3 percent to 1.75 percent starting in tax year 2027. For other property, the cap would decrease from 5 percent to 4 percent. The resolution also updates Oklahoma’s existing “senior freeze” by establishing a tiered cap structure for homestead property owned by seniors age 65 and older, based on household income relative to the median income in their county. Opponents of the measure argue that passage of State Question 847 will restrict future revenue growth from increased property taxes. This means less tax revenue would become available schools and other government services. State Question 847 will be on the November 3, 2026 ballot.

INITIATIVE PETITIONS SEEKING BALLOT

Last year, the Oklahoma Legislature passed legislation which was signed into law on May 23, 2025, by Governor Stitt that is intended to impact the future collection of signatures on initiative petitions. Senate Bill 1027, by Sen. David Bullard (R-Durant) and House Speaker Kyle Hilbert (R-Bristow) made reforms to the initiative petition process.

The legislation requires the proponents of initiative petitions to collect signatures from a larger geographic swath of Oklahoma, although successful petitions could still visit far less than half the state. The number of signatures from any given county is capped at a set percentage of the number of votes cast in that county in the last General Election for Governor. The effect of this reform is that signatures must come from at least 18 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties.

It also requires paid signature collectors to disclose their financial backers and mandates that only registered Oklahoma voters are eligible to gather signatures. It also will simplify the language of petition summaries, or gists, and requires that these summaries explicitly state whether a petition will have a fiscal impact. And it requires that those who sign a petition must first read the full ballot title for the proposed measure.

Because of a legal challenge, the legislation was blocked by the Oklahoma Supreme Court from going into effect until the court rules on the challenge. Since the court has not yet settled the issue, the collection of signatures on new initiative petitions will be governed by the laws in effect as of November 2024. The Oklahoma Supreme Court held oral arguments on the challenge on November 18, 2025. As we went to press, the state high court still had not issued a ruling in the case. Senate Bill 1027 was one of the ten bills we included on the 2025 Oklahoma Conservative Index rating state legislators.

Since no initiative petition advanced for the collection of signatures, none will reach voters this year.

State Question 840

A coalition of civic leaders and concerned citizens launched an effort to take back control of Oklahoma’s government from special interests and force more transparency into the legislative process. On September 12, 2025, Open Government Initiative, Incorporated (OGII) filed Initiative 451, designated as State Question 839. However, the initiative was withdrawn and refiled as Initiative 452, designated as State Question 840. The revised proposal would amend the state constitution by adding requirements for Legislative Bill Hearing Rights and Accountability Enforcement.

OGII stands against legislative leaders that unilaterally block bills from even being heard, regardless of public support or merit. The leader of the group is former state Rep. Charles Key (R-Oklahoma City) who tried to reform the legislative process by changing legislative rules during his time in the Legislature. Key criticized the Legislature’s lack of transparency, where major decisions and leadership deals are often made behind closed doors, influenced by special interests. “This isn’t about partisanship,” said Key. The proposed constitutional amendment would have guaranteed each Oklahoma Legislator the right to have at least three bills heard in committee each year. If approved by a legislative committee, a bill must be scheduled for a floor vote upon the request of the bill’s author.

The Secretary of State affirmed that the proposed gist of Initiative Petition 452 conformed with state requirements and published notice that the 90-day appeal and protest period (as to Constitutionality) would begin on December 23, 2025, and end on March 23, 2026. It was withdrawn by the proponents on July 16, 2026 and is no longer active with the Secretary of State office.

State Question 843

Initiative Petitions 453 and 454, assigned as State Question 841 and 842 respectively, were filed and later withdrawn. Initiative Petition 455 was filed on January 12, 2026 with revisions from the previous two versions and was assigned as State Question 843. Labeled as “Homestead Exemption,” the proposal would eliminate ad valorem taxes on owner-occupied homesteads in three equal steps: 33% of assessed value exempt in 2027, 66%% in 2028, and 100% in 2029 and thereafter.

Since it would not apply to bonded indebtedness incurred by schools, counties, municipalities or other political subdivisions in effect prior to December 31, 2026, it would not completely end property taxes until those bonds are paid off. The measure would not cut off property taxes for businesses, including home rental properties. Proponents estimate that once fully in effect it would exempt home owners from $1.2 billion in property taxes annually beginning 2029. Because it is not a constitutional amendment, but only amends an existing statute or law which can be changed by the Oklahoma Legislature, it only requires 92,263 valid signatures to place the measure on the ballot.

It was filed by two current and one former state legislator. State Sen. Shane Jett (R-Shawnee) and Rep. Jay Steagall (R-Yukon), joined former Rep. Mike Reynolds (R-Oklahoma City), to create the proposal. The three lawmakers are conservatives, and have been named “Top Conservatives” based on their scores on the Oklahoma Conservative Index rating state legislators, published by the Oklahoma Constitution newspaper.

The Secretary of State affirmed that the proposed gist of Initiative Petition 455 conformed with state requirements. The 90-day appeal and protest period (as to Constitutionality) began on January 20, 2026 and the 90th day and last day of the 1st appeal and protest period was April 20, 2026. A protest was filed and submitted to the Oklahoma Supreme Court on April 15, 2026. The court heard oral arguments on the challenge in June. In a 5-4 ruling issued on October 5, the state high court said the proposal “clearly and manifestly violates the Oklahoma Constitution,” because a homestead would not be assessed in accordance with constitutional provisions. The ruling halted the initiative before it was approved to collect signatures.

GOVERNOR SUBMITS STATE QUESTION

Governor Kevin Stitt has set a Special Election for April 6, 2027, asking Oklahoma voters whether the Legislature should call a state constitutional convention. The Secretary of State has assigned the measure as State Question 848. Article XXIV, Section 2 of the state Constitution requires the question to be submitted to voters at least once every 20 years. Oklahoma voters were last presented with the opportunity to consider the question in 1970.

“The Oklahoma Constitution is clear. At least every 20 years, Oklahomans have the right to decide whether it’s time to call a constitutional convention,” said Governor Stitt. “It’s been 56 years since the question was sent to the people. This action puts the question to the people and ensures Oklahomans finally get the opportunity their Constitution guarantees.”

The Governor’s Executive Proclamation setting the election date was accompanied by Executive Order 2026-30, which instructed the Secretary of State to take the necessary actions to submit the question to the people and also creates the Oklahoma Constitutional Convention Commission. The Commission is tasked with studying the Oklahoma Constitution and other state constitutional conventions, and then making recommendations about the procedures and rules that would govern a state constitutional convention if the state question is approved. The report will be due no later than December 31, 2026. A lawsuit has been filed challenging the right of the governor to place the State Question on the ballot.