State Question 820 Will Not be on the November Ballot
OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 22) -The State Chamber Research Foundation’s Legal Center (The Legal Center) is celebrating a win after the Oklahoma Supreme Court’s recent ruling preserving the integrity of the initiative petition process. The court ruled the state does not have to place State Question 820 (SQ 820) on November’s general election ballot. The Legal Center filed a brief, along with the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Legal Foundation and the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association, opposing the efforts of proponents of SQ 820 to skirt the required statutory process for placing a measure on the ballot. The state’s highest court eloquently stated in its opinion the heart of the argument in The Legal Center’s brief – proponents have no clear legal right, and the state has no plain legal duty, to put SQ 820 on the November ballot, because it is not in full compliance with the statutory requirements. “Our members understand the impact of a state question, having all previously played by the same rules,” said Ben Lepak, executive director of The Legal Center. “If Oklahomans want a question placed on the ballot, it should be, regardless of the subject matter. But it must get there without taking any shortcuts. We are proud of the Oklahoma Supreme Court for applying the law consistently to all citizens.” The State Chamber Research Foundation (SCRF) is the business community’s think tank. Through high quality research and analysis, SCRF educates policymakers and the public about the virtues of the free enterprise system, the public policy ideas that enable free enterprise to thrive, and the positive contributions of the business community to the prosperity and welfare of the people of Oklahoma. As a non-profit, non-partisan research and education organization, SCRF is dedicated to advancing free markets, increasing opportunity, and growing prosperity.