Oklahoma voters overwhelmingly approved a state question that explicitly bans noncitizens from voting in state or local elections. 

About 80% of voters said yes to State Question 834, with more than 97% of precincts reporting, according to the Oklahoma State Election Board. The state question asked voters to approve amending the Oklahoma Constitution to state that “only” U.S. citizens may vote. Currently, the state constitution states that “all” U.S. citizens may vote.

State lawmakers approved putting the amendment to a vote of the people on one of the last days of the legislative session this spring. Republican lawmakers said they wanted to make it clear that noncitizens are not allowed to vote in Oklahoma. 

Democratic lawmakers said the change was unnecessary and politically motivated. It’s already a felony for noncitizens to register to vote in Oklahoma. No cities or towns in Oklahoma have tried to allow noncitizens to participate in their local elections, according to Oklahoma Watch. 

Also on Tuesday’s ballot was State Question 833, which would have created a new way to finance local infrastructure projects. But the measure failed with about 62% of voters opposed. 

Voters rejected the measure despite over $530,000 the group YES ON SQ 833 spent on digital and television advertisements in the month leading up to the election, state filings show. 

The state question would have allowed municipalities to create public infrastructure districts. Property owners could have petitioned their city government to create special districts that could use bonds to fund new infrastructure projects. Only the property owners in the district would have paid an additional tax to cover the cost of the projects. 

The lawmaker who authored the bill to put the measure to a vote of the people said the districts would be another tool for developers to finance major projects to help grow the state. But there was confusion around how the districts would work from some voters.

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Oklahomans approve changing the state constitution to clearly forbid noncitizens from voting

by Kayla Branch, The Frontier
November 5, 2024

<h1>Oklahomans approve changing the state constitution to clearly forbid noncitizens from voting</h1> <p class="byline">by Kayla Branch, The Frontier <br />November 5, 2024</p> <p class=”has-drop-cap”>Oklahoma voters overwhelmingly approved a state question that explicitly bans noncitizens from voting in state or local elections.&nbsp;</p> <p>About 80% of voters said yes to State Question 834, with more than 97% of precincts reporting, according to the Oklahoma State Election Board. The state question asked voters to approve amending the Oklahoma Constitution to state that “only” U.S. citizens may vote. Currently, the state constitution states that “all” U.S. citizens may vote.</p> <p>State lawmakers approved putting the amendment to a vote of the people on one of the last days of the legislative session this spring. Republican lawmakers <a href=”https://oklahomavoice.com/2024/10/14/oklahomans-to-consider-election-law-change-in-state-question-834/”>said</a> they wanted to make it clear that noncitizens are not allowed to vote in Oklahoma.&nbsp;</p> <p>Democratic lawmakers said the change was unnecessary and politically motivated. It’s already a <a href=”https://oklahoma.gov/elections/voter-registration/noncitizens.html”>felony for noncitizens</a> to register to vote in Oklahoma. No cities or towns in Oklahoma have tried to allow noncitizens to participate in their local elections, <a href=”https://oklahomawatch.org/2024/10/15/what-to-know-about-state-question-834-and-prohibiting-noncitizens-from-voting-in-local-elections/”>according to Oklahoma Watch</a>.&nbsp;</p> <p>Also on Tuesday’s ballot was <a href=”https://okpolicy.org/sq833/”>State Question 833</a>, which would have created a new way to finance local infrastructure projects. But the measure failed with about 62% of voters opposed.&nbsp;</p> <p>Voters rejected the measure despite over $530,000 the group YES ON SQ 833 spent on digital and television advertisements in the month leading up to the election, state filings show.&nbsp;</p> <p>The state question would have allowed municipalities to create public infrastructure districts. Property owners could have petitioned their city government to create special districts that could use bonds to fund new infrastructure projects. Only the property owners in the district would have paid an additional tax to cover the cost of the projects. </p> <p>The lawmaker who <a href=”http://www.oklegislature.gov/BillInfo.aspx?Bill=sjr16&amp;Session=2400″>authored the bill</a> to put the measure to a vote of the people said the districts would be another tool for developers to finance major projects to help grow the state. But there was confusion around how the districts would work from some <a href=”https://www.koco.com/article/oklahoma-state-question-833-leaves-voters-confused/62706584″>voters</a>.</p> <p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://www.readfrontier.org/stories/oklahomans-approve-changing-the-state-constitution-to-clearly-forbid-noncitizens-from-voting/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.readfrontier.org">The Frontier</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img src="https://i0.wp.com/www.readfrontier.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/cropped-favicon.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"><img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://www.readfrontier.org/?republication-pixel=true&post=26057&amp;ga4=289643089" style="width:1px;height:1px;"></p> Copy to Clipboard

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