Oklahoma voters approve voter ID state question; reject tax exemption change
OKLAHOMA CITY (KOKH) — While voting in several runoff elections, Oklahoma voters also voiced their opinions on two state questions.
State Question 844 would direct the legislature to establish the method for how much to reimburse local school districts and other local entities regarding a manufacturing tax exemption.
In 1985, Oklahoma voters passed a five-year tax exemption for qualifying manufactures, with the state reimbursing the lost ad valorem tax to local schools and governments.
"What this would let us do is go to those counties during the process and say, we can't afford to do all that, but what we can do is make sure that we provide enough money if you have increased costs for sheriff's department or increased costs for roads," Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton (R-Tuttle) said on the Senate floor on April 9. "We can determine on a case-by-case basis what that percentage would be. Over my 10 years in the legislature, I think we have spent hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars on ad valorem reimbursement."
In a statement to FOX 25, Oklahoma State School Boards Association Executive Director Dr. Shawn Hime said, “State Question 844 asks Oklahomans to give up a constitutional guarantee and trust that future legislatures will continue to honor it. Oklahoma made a commitment that when the state provides qualifying companies with a five-year property tax exemption, schools and other local entities will be reimbursed for the resulting loss in revenue. If SQ 844 passes, lawmakers could reduce or even eliminate the reimbursement from one legislative session to the next. Schools cannot build responsible budgets on political promises that can change every year. Oklahoma shouldn’t have to choose between economic growth and strong public schools. We need both. But the financial risk of incentives should not be shifted to our students and local communities if a future Legislature decides it has other priorities. For decades, the Constitution has provided certainty. SQ 844 asks voters to replace that certainty with hope — and hope is not a funding strategy.”
On Tuesday, voters resoundingly voted against the proposal.
State Question 846 would amend the Oklahoma Constitution to require proof of identity when voting in an election conducted by a county or state election board for all voting methods.
Oklahoma voters passed the state's current voter ID laws more than a decade ago, which require a voter to show a government photo ID, a voter ID card or fill out a provisional ballot.
"We require proof of identity under current statute. This simply moves that and puts it into the constitution. So that for a future legislature that decided to change that, they would have a more difficult time to do so," Paxton said on the Senate floor on March 26.
The Oklahoma Policy Institute says the state question would give the legislature broad new authority.
"The reason Oklahoma Policy is urging voters to vote no is one, the way the state question is written. It doesn't specify what's wrong with our current voter ID laws. It just asks voters to trust lawmakers and give them blanket authority to change our state constitution. And two, that isn't sound policy," said Aanahita Ervin, a fiscal policy analyst for Oklahoma Policy Institute. "Tell us what we're voting on before you make a decision, right? We should, voters should know what's being changed before giving blanket authority."
This was a closer race with around 55% of voters approving the measure.