This year’s general election ballot has more than the highly publicized presidential show-down. While a slew of dark money advertisements have been prominent in the weeks leading up to November’s election, two state propositions have received less attention.
State Question 833
The first of the two propositions might appear overwhelming to some voters at first glance. State Question 833 is an Oklahoma constitutional amendment addressing private infrastructure developments (PID).
Private infrastructure is any infrastructure project that is not under the direct control of the government or municipalities. If successful, 833 would allow municipalities to create PIDS to fund new or existing infrastructure projects.
Oftentimes, ballot propositions begin as petitions. Organizing groups canvass registered voters to collect enough signatures for ballot consideration. Once the threshold of signatures has been reached, the Secretary of State’s office oversees the counting process.
In the case of question 833, the proposition was first birthed in the halls of the legislature. Rep. Terry O’Donnell and Sen. John Haste sponsored a resolution to propel 833 to the Oklahoma ballot.
The details
What’s unique about 833 is that cities can relinquish control to property owners of designated districts. The board of such PIDs can issue bonds to pay for all or part of the cost of public improvements within such districts.
So how does one create a PID? First, the petitioner(s) must file with the appropriate municipality. Petitioners must obtain signatures from 100% of property owners within the proposed district. Cities are also allowed to impose limitations on PIDs.
Supporters of the proposition say that PIDs would allow property owners in an approved district to sell bonds without it counting against a city’s bonding capacity. Some also say that it could help create more affordable housing across the state.
“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,” said Sen. Haste. “PIDs will help our municipalities finance the infrastructure to handle our state’s growth.”
State Question 834
Compared to its ballot partner, question 834 is more straightforward. Also a constitutional amendment, 834 would clarify that only citizens of the United States are qualified to vote in this state. Opponents of the measure say that it’s an unnecessary redundancy. Oklahoma and federal law already classify voting by noncitizens as a felony offense.
Supporters argue that the proposition clarifies existing law to reduce confusion about voter eligibility. They also see it as a preventative approach to decrease voter fraud.
The subject of voter fraud has been cause for debate across Oklahoma. In September, Governor Kevin Stitt purged over 453,000 voters from the rolls. “Thanks to our strict voter list maintenance laws, Oklahoma has removed over 453K ineligible voters from our rolls– felons, deceased voters, duplicate registrations, and more,” said Stitt.
The action has been met with criticism as Oklahomans with felony convictions are legally allowed to vote once the entirety of their sentence has been completed.
As for the topic of non-citizens, there have been recent government efforts to limit illegal immigration in the state. In April, Gov. Stitt signed HB 4156 into law, a copycat of the controversial Texas Senate Bill 4.
Under the new law, those found to be in the state without going through the standard immigration process can face jail time. In July, a federal court temporarily blocked the law from being enforced.