WHAT THE HECK ARE WE VOTING ON? OKLAHOMA’S AUGUST 25TH ELECTION, EXPLAINED

OKLAHOMA, OKLA. (TUC) — Alright y’all, Oklahoma elections are coming up soon, with Election Day set for August 25th. Polls will open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m.

For those who aren’t registered to vote just yet, the voter registration deadline for the August 25th election was July 31st. However, if you missed that deadline, don’t count yourself out completely because there’s still another election coming up.

The voter registration deadline for the November 3rd election is October 9th. So, that being said, if you missed out on registering in time for August 25th, you still have time to get your registration squared away before November.

Now, what the heck are we supposed to vote for on August 25th? Glad you asked.

Regardless of your political affiliation, all Oklahoma voters who are registered and eligible to vote can weigh in on these two state questions:

SQ 844: Amending Certain Tax Revenue Reimbursements

Oklahoma gives certain qualifying manufacturing companies a break from paying some property taxes for five years. But here’s the thing , that property tax money would normally go toward local schools, counties and other local services. So, if a qualifying company gets that tax break, those local entities are missing out on money they normally would have received. And right now, the state helps make up for that lost money by reimbursing them. Which then brings us to SQ 844.

SQ 844 is basically asking:

Should the Oklahoma Legislature be allowed to decide how much of that lost money gets reimbursed and how those reimbursement amounts are figured out?

If you vote YES: You’re voting to change the Oklahoma Constitution and allow the Legislature to set how these reimbursements are calculated and how much is paid.

If you vote NO: You’re voting to leave the current system alone. The Legislature would not be given this new authority under SQ 844 to change how those reimbursement amounts are determined.

SQ 846: Voter ID Requirement Amendment

Alright y’all, this one is a little easier to understand, but there’s one VERY important thing to know first:

Oklahoma already requires voters to prove their identity when voting. So, SQ 846 is NOT asking, “Should Oklahoma start requiring voter ID?” We already do. What SQ 846 is asking is whether that requirement should be put directly into the Oklahoma Constitution. Basically, right now, Oklahoma's voter ID requirements exist under state law.

SQ 846 would take the requirement to prove your identity when voting and put it into the state Constitution. If it passes, the Oklahoma Legislature would still be responsible for deciding what types of identification or other proof of identity voters could use.

If you vote YES: You’re voting to put the requirement to prove your identity when voting into the Oklahoma Constitution.

If you vote NO: You’re voting NOT to put the requirement into the Oklahoma Constitution.

And this part is important:

A NO vote does NOT mean Oklahoma suddenly gets rid of its current voter ID law. The voter ID requirements Oklahoma already has would remain in place. The difference is that the requirement would stay under state law instead of being added to the Oklahoma Constitution.

Now, outside of the two state questions, what else is on your ballot will depend on where you live and how you’re registered. Several races from the June primary are heading to a runoff on August 25th because no candidate received enough votes to win outright.

Republicans will have runoffs for governor, state superintendent, labor commissioner and insurance commissioner, while Democrats have a runoff for U.S. Senate. There are also some Oklahoma House, Senate and county races being decided. Some cities and counties will have local races or questions on the ballot too.

Basically, not everyone’s ballot will look the same. We highly recommend checking your sample ballot before Election Day so you know exactly who and what you’ll be voting on.

At the end of the day, we’re not here to tell y’all how to vote or who to vote for. That decision is yours. We just want to make sure you understand what’s actually on the ballot.

Do your research, ask questions and make the decision that feels right to you. An informed voter is a better voter.

Source: Oklahoma State Election Board