2010 Oklahoma elections

Oklahoma Supreme Court

Steven W. Taylor

Choice	Votes	%
Yes	575,570	64.88
No	311,608	35.12
Total votes	887,178	100.00

James R. Winchester

Choice	Votes	%
Yes	571,893	65.02
No	307,615	34.98
Total votes	879,508	100.00

Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals

Deborah B. Barnes

Choice	Votes	%
Yes	565,390	64.11
No	316,542	35.89
Total votes	881,932	100.00

Doug Gabbard II

Choice	Votes	%
Yes	539,326	61.60
No	336,136	38.40
Total votes	875,462	100.00

John F. Fischer

Choice	Votes	%
Yes	549,756	62.74
No	326,506	37.26
Total votes	876,262	100.00

Larry E. Joplin

Choice	Votes	%
Yes	548,247	62.46
No	329,520	37.54
Total votes	877,767	100.00

SQ 744

State Question 744 would have amended the Oklahoma Constitution by adding a new article: Article 13-C - Amount of money the State provides to support common schools.

The proposed Constitutional amendment would have mandated that the Oklahoma Legislature spend no less than the average amount spent by "neighboring states" (those states which border Oklahoma: Missouri, Texas, Kansas, Arkansas, Colorado and New Mexico) on "common education" (defined as grades pre-kindergarten through high school) on an annual, per-student basis. If the surrounding-state average ever declined, the legislature would be required to spend the same amount as it did the year before. The measure required that increased spending begin in the first fiscal year after its passage and that the surrounding-state average be met in the third fiscal year after passage.

The proposed amendment did not provide a funding source for the new spending requirements and was therefore overwhelmingly defeated.

State Question 744

Choice	Votes	%
No	828,589	81.41
Yes	189,164	18.59
Total votes	1,017,753	100.00

SQ 746

State Question 746 would amend various State laws relating to voting requirements. It requires that each person appearing to vote present a document proving their identity. The document must meet the following requirements:

• It must have the name and photograph of the voter.
• It must have been issued by the federal, state or tribal government.
• It must have an expiration date that is after the date of the election.

No expiration date would be required on certain identity cards issued to person 65 years of age or older. In lieu of such a document, voters could present voter identification cards issued by the County Election Board. A person who cannot or does not present the required identification may sign a sworn statement and cast a provisional ballot. Swearing to a false statement would be a felony.

If approved, the measure would become effective July 1, 2011.

State Question 746

Choice	Votes	%
Yes	746,053	74.34
No	257,523	25.66
Total votes	1,003,576	100.00

SQ 747

State Question 747 would amend the Oklahoma Constitution by placing term limits on all Statewide elected officials. All officials would be allowed to serve no more two terms in office. Terms served need not be consecutive for the limits to apply.

State Question 747

Choice	Votes	%
Yes	695,592	69.88
No	299,789	30.12
Total votes	995,381	100.00

SQ 748

State Question 748 would amend the Oklahoma Constitution by amending Article 5, Sections 11A and 11B. The measure would change how the districts of the Oklahoma Legislature are apportioned.

Currently, the Apportionment Commission is responsible for setting district boundaries every ten years if the Legislature itself fails to do so. The Apportionment Commission, as currently established, is composed of the attorney general, the state treasurer and the state superintendent of public instruction. The measure would change the commission's name to the Bipartisan Commission on Legislative Apportionment and would increase the number of members from three to seven. The president pro tempore of the Oklahoma Senate would appoint one Democrat and one Republican, the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives would appoint one Democrat and one Republican, and the governor of Oklahoma would appoint one Democrat and one Republican.

The lieutenant governor of Oklahoma would chair the commission and would be a nonvoting member. It requires orders of apportionment to be signed by at least four members of the commission.

State Question 748

Choice	Votes	%
Yes	567,288	58.42
No	403,733	41.58
Total votes	971,021	100.00

SQ 750

This measure would amend the Oklahoma Constitution by altering the initiative petitions and with referendum petitions process by changing the number of signatures required for such petitions.

The following voter signature requirements would apply:

• 8% must sign to propose law
• 15% must sign to propose to change the State Constitution.
• 5% must sign to order a referendum.

These percentages are based upon the State office receiving the most total votes at the last general election when the governor is on the ballot. The measure's basis does not use general elections with the president on the ballot. More votes are usually cast at presidential general elections. Thus, the measure would generally have a lowering effect on the number of required signatures.

State Question 750

Choice	Votes	%
Yes	485,703	50.40
No	478,042	49.60
Total votes	963,745	100.00

SQ 751

This measure would amend the Oklahoma Constitution by adding a new Article to the Constitution. That Article would deal with the State's official actions. It dictates the language to be used in taking official State actions must be the English language. However, it allows for Native American languages could also be used and, when Federal law so requires, other languages could also be used.

The term "official actions" is not defined. The Oklahoma Legislature could pass laws determining the application of the language requirements. No lawsuit based on State law could be brought on the basis of a State agency's failure to use a language other than English nor could such a lawsuit be brought against political subdivisions of the State.

State Question 751

Choice	Votes	%
Yes	740,918	75.54
No	239,904	24.46
Total votes	980,822	100.00

SQ 752

This measure would amend Section 3 of Article 7-B of the Oklahoma Constitution. The amendment adds two at-large members to the Oklahoma Judicial Nominating Commission. At-large members can come from any Oklahoma congressional district. The President Pro Tempore of the Oklahoma Senate would appoint one of the new at-large members and the Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives would appoint the other. At-large members cannot be lawyers, can not have a lawyer in their immediate family. Nor can more than two at-large members be from the same political party. This would raise the total membership on the commission from 13 to 15.

State Question 752

Choice	Votes	%
Yes	606,805	62.83
No	358,925	37.17
Total votes	965,730	100.00

SQ 754

This measure would have added a new section, Section 55A of Article 5, to the Oklahoma Constitution. Under the measure, the Constitution could not have required the Oklahoma Legislature to fund state functions based on:

• 1. Predetermined constitutional formulas,
• 2. How much other states spend on a function,
• 3. How much any entity spends on a function.

Under the measure, these limits on the Constitution's power to control appropriations would have applied even if:

• 1. A later constitutional amendment changed the Constitution, or
• 2. A constitutional amendment to the contrary was passed at the same time as this measure.

The Question was in direct opposition toward State Question 744 which also appeared on the ballot.

State Question 754

Choice	Votes	%
No	614,219	62.92
Yes	361,907	37.08
Total votes	976,126	100.00

SQ 755

This measure amended the Constitution of Oklahoma. It requires courts to rely solely on federal and state law when deciding cases. It forbids courts from considering or using international law or using Sharia.[3]

The results of State Question 755 have not been officially certified by the Oklahoma Election Board due to an injunction filed in Federal Court by the Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR). CAIR is challenging its constitutionality under the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the Constitution of the United States.[4] A Federal District Court in Oklahoma City temporarily blocked certification of the election results, calling the measure an unconstitutional violation of the First Amendment because the measure conveys a message that the state favors one religion or particular belief.[5] The state election board appealed the ruling to the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals,[6] but that court unanimously upheld the ruling blocking the amendment:

The US Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit on January 10, 2012 unanimously upheld[7] a ruling blocking the implementation of an Oklahoma constitutional amendment[8] that would have prohibited state courts from considering Islamic and international law in deciding cases. Approved by approximately 70 percent[9] of Oklahoma voters, but challenged by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Council on American–Islamic Relations (CAIR), State Question 755, also called the “Save Our State Amendment,” was classified by the court as singling out Islam for unfavorable treatment in state courts. The court ruled that the provision likes violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment[10][11]

State Question 755

Choice	Votes	%
Yes	695,650	70.08
No	296,944	29.92
Total votes	992,594	100.00

SQ 756

This measure adds a new section, Section 37 to Article 2, of Oklahoma Constitution. It defines "health care system." It prohibits making a person participate in a health care system, prohibits making an employer participate in a health care system, and prohibits making a health care provider provide treatment in a health care system. It would allow persons and employees to pay for treatment directly, it would allow health care provider to accept payment for treatment directly, it would allow the purchase of health care insurance in private health care systems and it would allow the sale of health insurance in private health care systems.

The Question was proposed as an opposition toward the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

State Question 756

Choice	Votes	%
Yes	638,530	64.73
No	347,956	35.27
Total votes	986,486	100.00

SQ 757

This measure amends Section 23 of Article 10 of the Oklahoma Constitution. It would increase the amount of surplus revenue which goes into the Constitutional Reserve Fund. The amount would go from 10% to 15% of the funds certified as going to the General Revenue fund for the preceding fiscal year.

State Question 757

Choice	Votes	%
Yes	499,287	51.02
No	479,353	48.98
Total votes	978,640	100.00