Most of the time, voting means choosing between people. But every so often, you'll see a State Question on your ballot — a yes-or-no decision that you, the voter, make directly. No candidate, no middleman. Just you and the question.
We don't tell you how to vote on any measure. We explain what it is and point you to where you can read both sides.
What it is
A State Question is a proposed change to Oklahoma law or the Oklahoma Constitution, decided by a direct vote of the people. If more people vote yes than no, it passes and becomes law. It's one of the few moments where you don't elect someone to decide for you — you decide yourself.
How one reaches your ballot
There are three paths, and they start in very different places.
Citizen Initiative Petition
The Oklahoma Constitution gives the people the power to write law directly — gather a required number of signatures from registered voters, and your proposed law or constitutional change goes on the ballot for everyone to decide. Not every state allows this; Oklahoma does. It’s a demanding process, though: petitioners have just 90 days to collect every signature — the shortest window of any initiative state in the country. The specific rules have also changed over time, and some requirements passed recently are currently being challenged in the courts.
Veto Referendum
Sometimes the Legislature passes a law and some Oklahomans want the final say before it sticks. By gathering enough signatures within 90 days of the session ending, they can refer that already-passed law to a statewide vote — and voters decide whether to keep it or strike it down. It’s the mirror image of an initiative: instead of proposing a new law, the people get to approve or reject one the Legislature already passed. In practice it’s the rarest of the three — the entire petition has to be circulated, signed, and filed within just 90 days of the session ending, and no veto referendum has reached an Oklahoma ballot since 1970.
Legislative Referendum
The Legislature votes to send a question to the people instead of deciding it themselves. Some changes — like amending the State Constitution — must go to a public vote. So lawmakers refer them to you.
How you vote on one
On the August 25 Ballot
State Question 844
Concerns reimbursement to local governments for the manufacturing property tax exemption.
What's the law today
When a manufacturer builds or expands in Oklahoma, it gets a five-year exemption from local property taxes. Because schools, counties, cities, libraries, and emergency services rely on those taxes, the state reimburses them for the revenue lost to the exemption. That reimbursement is funded by 1% of state income-tax revenue, which has often fallen short of the full cost — covering roughly a third of it in recent years, with the Legislature adding money to close the gap (about $78.4 million in FY 2024).
What the measure does
It changes how that reimbursement is set. Instead of the current framework, the Legislature would write the levels and methods of reimbursement into law, with the stated aim that no one county's reimbursement comes at a detriment to other counties. It also changes how exempt property is counted when local governments calculate how much they can borrow. The specific reimbursement amounts and formulas are not part of this question and are unknown — they would be set by the Legislature after the election.
Official ballot title Read the exact wording you'll see on the ballot
Ballot title as rewritten by the Attorney General:
This measure amends article 10, section 6B of the Oklahoma Constitution. Section 6B incentivizes manufacturers to locate, expand, or acquire manufacturing facilities in Oklahoma through an ad valorem taxation exemption for five (5) years. Currently, the State must reimburse common schools, county governments, cities and towns, emergency medical services districts, vocational technical schools, junior colleges, county health departments and libraries for revenues lost as a result of each exemption provided. This measure authorizes the Legislature to enact laws establishing the levels and methodologies of reimbursement for the previously mentioned local governmental entities resulting from the manufacturing exemption. The laws are meant to ensure that no individual county receives reimbursement in an amount detrimental to other Oklahoma counties. The levels and methodologies will replace the current statutory framework for reimbursement. For the purpose of calculating the limit on indebtedness for political subdivisions, the measure requires such amount be equal to the amount of reimbursement applicable to such property under laws enacted by the Legislature. This measure will have a fiscal impact on the state that will depend on the application of the levels and methodologies adopted by the Legislature.
SHALL THE PROPOSAL BE APPROVED?
FOR THE PROPOSAL — YES AGAINST THE PROPOSAL — NO
Source: Oklahoma State Election Board. This is the official ballot title, verbatim, as rewritten by the Attorney General.
State Question 846
Concerns proof of identity for voting.
What's the law today
Oklahoma already requires proof of identity to vote. Voters added that requirement in 2010 through State Question 746 (approved with 74%), and it currently sits in state law. Today a voter can show a government-issued photo ID, the free voter ID card the county mails to every registered voter, or sign a sworn affidavit and vote a provisional ballot that is verified afterward. Absentee ballots use a separate verification system.
What the measure does
It moves the proof-of-identity requirement from state law into the Oklahoma Constitution, applies it to every method of voting (not just in person), and directs the Legislature to define what counts as proof of identity.
Official ballot title Read the exact wording you'll see on the ballot
Ballot title as rewritten by the Attorney General:
This measure adds a new section 6 to article 3 of the Oklahoma Constitution to require proof of identity to vote in any election authorized by law and conducted by a county election board or the State Election Board. The measure requires proof of identity for all authorized methods of voting. The measure requires the Legislature to enact laws to specify requirements for proof of identity for voting. The measure will not have a fiscal impact.
SHALL THE PROPOSAL BE APPROVED?
FOR THE PROPOSAL — YES AGAINST THE PROPOSAL — NO
Source: Oklahoma State Election Board. This is the official ballot title, verbatim, as rewritten by the Attorney General.
We link to the arguments rather than write them. For balanced, nonpartisan summaries of what each side says, sources like Ballotpedia and the League of Women Voters maintain pro-and-con breakdowns. You read both; you decide.