From staff reports OKLAHOMA CITY – Two state questions have qualified for the Nov. 5 general election ballot, according to the Oklahoma State Election Board.
Both questions propose amendments to the Oklahoma Constitution, with State Question 833 addressing public infrastructure districts and SQ 834 addressing voter eligibility and both were requested by state lawmakers. Sample ballots are available online. They are available through download at the State Election Board OK Voter Portal, oklahoma.gov/elections/ ovp. SQ 833 According to a legislative press release, Senate Joint Resolution 16, authored by Sen. John Haste (R-Broken Arrow), will ask voters to amend the Oklahoma Constitution to authorize municipalities to create public infrastructure districts (PID). If approved by voters, cities will be able to use a PID to finance infrastructure improvements. PIDs can be used to help address the costs of roads, sidewalks, parks, water and sewer in developments.
“Oklahoma has a housing shortage across the state, and we know one of the most significant barriers to new homes is the need to build the necessary infrastructure to support them,” Haste said. “PIDs will help our municipalities finance the infrastructure to handle our state's growth.”
If passed, SQ 833 would allow 100% of surface property owners in a portion of a municipality to petition to create a PID to finance infrastructure in that area. If approved by the city council, the PID would be able to issue bonds to finance the infrastructure in the area and repay the bonds through an up to 10 mill property tax assessment on properties in the PID, explained the press release.
SJR 16 was co-sponsored by Rep. Terry O'Donnell (R-Catoosa) in the House.
“SJR 16 creates a great balance between protecting private property rights and allowing our cities and towns to have the flexible tools they need,” O'Donnell said in the press release. “As we drafted this proposal, we aimed to ensure transparency in creating a PID and ensure property owners drive this process.”
Property owners must be in unanimous agreement to create a PID and the entity will be governed by a board of trustees. SQ 834 Senate Joint Resolution 23, authored by Sen. Micheal Bergstrom (R-Adair) and Speaker of the House Charles McCall (R-Atoka), proposes a constitutional amendment to ensure that only U.S. citizens are qualified to vote in Oklahoma.
Opponents of the state question argue that the proposal is not necessary and feeds into anti-immigrant sentiment in the state, according to the KOSU/NPR radio news website. It is a felony for noncitizens to register to vote in Oklahoma. Supporters of the question argue that it adds more clarity to the law.
The Oklahoma Policy Institute reported at okpolicy.org that the ballot initiative is following a national trend in other states, including Alabama, Louisiana, Colorado and Florida, which have made changes to their state constitutions to specify that only citizens can vote. Oklahoma has reserved the right to vote for citizens since the state Constitution was ratified in 1907.