2016 State Ques on Summaries I
nforma on is key to decision making. Unfortunately, many learn of various state ques ons when they receive their ballot on elec on day. To give you more me to form your decision, we have included the state ques on summaries, as they appear on the state’s website, for your convenience. Please remember, these are summaries, and do not contain all the of the informa on important to these ques ons. We strongly encourage you to visit h ps://
www.ok.gov/elec; ons/Elec on_Info/State_Ques
on_info.html. On this page, you will fi nd easy links to the full language of the ques ons.
Northeast Oklahoma Electric does not endorse any poli cal point of view or candidate. HAPPY VOTING! STATE QUESTION NO. 776
This measure adds a new sec on to the Oklahoma Cons tu on, Sec on 9A of Ar cle 2. The new Sec on deals with the death penalty. The Sec on establishes State cons tu onal mandates rela ng to the death penalty and methods of execu on. Under these cons tu onal requirements:
• The Legislature is expressly empowered to designate any method of execu on not prohibited by the United States Cons tu on. • Death sentences shall not be reduced because a method of execu on is ruled to be invalid.
• When an execu on method is declared invalid, the death penalty imposed shall remain in force un l it can be carried out using any valid execu on method, and
• The imposi on of a death penalty under Oklahoma law —as dis nguished from a method of execu on—shall not be deemed to be or cons tute the infl ic on of cruel or unusual punishment under Oklahoma’s Cons tu on, nor to contravene any provision of the
STATE QUESTION NO. 777 This measure adds Sec on 38 to Ar cle II of the Oklahoma Cons tu on. The new Sec on creates state cons tu onal rights. It creates the following guaranteed rights to engage in farming and ranching: • The right to make use of agricultural technology • The right to make use of livestock procedures, and • The right to make use of ranching prac ces.
These cons tu onal rights receive extra protec on under this measure that not all cons tu onal rights receive. This extra protec on is a limit on lawmakers’ ability to interfere with the exercise of these rights. Under this extra protec on, no law can interfere with these rights, unless the law is jus fi ed by a compelling state interest-a clearly iden fi ed state interest of the highest order. Addi onally, the law must be necessary to serve that compelling state interest.
The measure—and the protec ons iden fi ed above—do not apply to and do not impact state laws related to: • Trespass, • Eminent domain, • Dominance of mineral interests, • Easements • Right of way or other property rights, and • Any state statutes and poli cal subdivision ordinances enacted before December 31, 2014.
STATE QUESTION NO. 779
This measure adds a new Ar cle to the Oklahoma Cons tu on. The ar cle creates a limited purpose fund to increase funding for public educa on. It increases State sales and use taxes by one cent per dollar to provide revenue for the fund. The revenue to be used for public educa on shall be allocated: 69.50% for common school districts, 19.25% for the ins tu ons under the authority of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Educa on, 3.25% for the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Educa on, and 8% for the State Department of Educa on. It requires teacher salary increases funded by this measure raise teacher salaries by at least $5,000 over the salaries paid in the year prior to adop on of this measure. It requires an annual audit of school districts' use of monies. It prohibits school districts' use of these funds for increasing superintendents' salaries or adding superintendent posi ons. It requires that monies from the fund not supplant or replace other educa onal funding. If the Oklahoma Board of Equaliza on determines funding has been replaced, the Legislature may not make any appropria ons un l the amount of replaced funding is returned to the fund. The ar cle takes eff ect on July 1 a er its passage.
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