Oklahoma state question results

Oklahoma had seven state questions on the ballot; four passed.

SQ 776 passed with 66 percent of the vote. It allows any execution method for capital punishment that does not violate the US Constitution.

SQ 777, which was called the “Right to Farm” law, came under strong opposition from farmers and state officials who said that it would benefit mainly large corporate farms, and limit the state’s power to regulate things like agricultural run-off and use of chemicals. The measure failed with a 60 percent no vote.

SQ 779 would have added a penny sales tax to fund teacher pay raises and other education expenses. It was broadly attacked late in the campaign as both a regressive tax on the poor, and a stealth method to fund charter schools at the expense of public education. It failed with 59 percent voting no.

SQ 780 reduces criminal sentences for drug and property crimes, and was widely viewed as criminal justice reform in a state that has a high incarceration rate. It passed with 58 percent of the vote.

SQ 781 was a companion measure to SQ 780. It stipulated that the savings from not incarcerating so many people be used to pay for rehabilitation. It passed with 56 percent of the vote.

SQ 790 would have removed a ban on the use of state money and property for religious purposes. It was proposed as a reaction to the state Supreme Court’s decision that a Ten Commandment statue on the state capitol grounds violated the state constitution. It failed with 57 percent of the vote. There won’t be Satanist statues, or the Ten Commandments, on public property.

SQ 792 updates state liquor laws, allows the sale of strong beer and wine in grocery stores, and cold beer and items associated with the consumption of alcohol in liquor stores. It passed with 66 percent of the vote.

Copyright 2016 The Gayly – November 9, 2016 @ 8 a.m.