April 15, 2024

Democracy Watch

Raise the Wage Petitioners to Begin Signature Collection This Week

By Keaton Ross | Democracy/Criminal Justice Reporter

Signature collectors could soon be coming to a shopping center or public park near you. 

The Oklahoma Supreme Court set an April 16 start date for the State Question 832 campaign to begin circulating their petition. Organizers will have until July 14 to submit at least 92,263 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office. 

Registered Oklahoma voters are eligible to sign the petition, which requires signees to list their full legal name, date of birth and address listed on their voter registration file. If the measure reaches the ballot and voters say yes, the measure would incrementally raise Oklahoma’s minimum wage to $15 per hour by 2029 and tie future increases to federal labor data. 

Raise the Wage Oklahoma hopes to have the question appear on the Nov. 5 general election ballot. That’s possible based on the initiative’s current trajectory, but unexpected delays in the signature collection process delayed the last initiative petition to reach the signature collection phase. 

Organizers for State Question 820, the unsuccessful initiative to legalize recreational marijuana that voters rejected in March 2023, submitted more than 164,000 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office on July 5, 2022. While previous initiative petition signatures were verified within two or three weeks, it took an outside vendor contracted by the state well over a month to certify signatures for S.Q. 820, causing the initiative to miss the higher turnout November 2022 general election ballot. 

State law authorizes a 10-day challenge period for anyone to challenge the validity of signatures. Once that’s completed, it’s up to the governor to set the election date. The signature collection and verification phase must be completed by late August to give the Election Board adequate time to print and mail ballots to overseas voters. 

Have thoughts or questions on this petition? Let me know at Kross@Oklahomawatch.org.

What I’m Reading This Week:

• Bill Adding Rules on How to House Oklahoma’s Transgender Inmates Faces Criticism: Supporters of House Bill 3022 say it’s a proactive measure aimed at housing transgender inmates and protecting them from sexual assaults. Critics say it’s unnecessary, creates a logistical nightmare and is another attack on the rights of LGBTQ+ Oklahomans. [Oklahoma Voice]
• Stitt or Drummond? Oklahoma Supreme Court Will Decide Who Represents State in Tribal Compacting Case: After Attorney General Gentner Drummond interjected himself as the state’s proper representative in the case over Gov. Kevin Stitt last summer, the presiding judge couldn’t decide which elected official that should be based on available Oklahoma statute. [KGOU]
• Does the Turnpike Authority Have an Unfair Advantage Over Homeowners? This Family Fought and Won: Samantha and Wes Brewer won big. But the ordeal they endured is held up as evidence by homeowners now fighting against proposed ACCESS Oklahoma toll roads that the turnpike authority has an unfair advantage. [The Oklahoman]

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