From legislative term limits to medical marijuana and Medicaid expansion, Oklahoma voters have repeatedly changed state law through the state question process. Here’s how it works — and why it has become a growing point of political debate.
Oklahoma lawmakers don’t always have the final say.
Some of the most significant changes to Oklahoma law over the past 35 years never originated in the Legislature at all. Instead, they were decided directly by voters through state questions.
Voters approved legislative term limits and shorter regular legislative sessions in 1990. They legalized medical marijuana in 2018 and expanded Medicaid in 2020. More recently, voters rejected recreational marijuana in 2023 and a proposal to increase Oklahoma’s minimum wage in 2026.
Another proposal — a constitutional amendment to eliminate property taxes on owner-occupied homes — is now working its way through the legal process that determines whether it can eventually appear on a statewide ballot.
Together, those measures illustrate one of the more distinctive features of Oklahoma government: citizens have the power to propose laws and constitutional amendments that can bypass the normal legislative process and be decided directly by voters.
Three paths to the ballot
Not every state question reaches voters the same way.
Some are proposed by citizens through initiative petitions. Others are referendum petitions that ask voters to approve or reject laws passed by the Legislature before they take effect. Still others are referred directly to voters by the Legislature itself.
Regardless of how they begin, each ultimately asks Oklahoma voters to decide whether a proposal should become law.
How a citizen initiative works
The best-known path is the initiative petition.
It begins when supporters file a proposal with the Oklahoma Secretary of State. The filing includes the proposed legal language and a brief summary, known as the “gist,” explaining the measure to voters.
The proposal may then face legal challenges, often before a single signature is collected. The Oklahoma Supreme Court can review questions involving the petition’s legal sufficiency or whether the proposal complies with state law.
If the proposal survives those challenges, supporters begin gathering signatures from registered Oklahoma voters.
The number of signatures required depends on the type of proposal and is based on turnout in the most recent gubernatorial election.
Current law requires signatures equal to:
- 8% of votes cast for governor for a statutory initiative.
- 15% for a constitutional amendment.
- 5% for a referendum seeking to place a recently enacted law before voters.
After signatures are submitted, the Secretary of State reviews the petitions to determine whether enough valid signatures were collected. Additional legal challenges may follow before a proposal is certified for the ballot.
If all legal requirements are met, the governor sets the election date for citizen initiatives, while legislative referrals are generally scheduled through the legislation creating the state question.
Most state questions are decided by a simple majority of voters casting ballots on the measure.
Why the process has become a political issue
The initiative petition process has existed since Oklahoma became a state, but it has received renewed political attention in recent years.
Much of that attention followed voter approval of several high-profile measures that many Republican lawmakers opposed, including medical marijuana and Medicaid expansion.
Since then, the Legislature has approved a series of changes to Oklahoma’s initiative petition laws, including new requirements governing how petition signatures may be gathered and distributed across the state.
Supporters say the changes help ensure statewide support before constitutional amendments or new laws reach the ballot and strengthen the integrity of the petition process.
Critics argue the requirements make it substantially more difficult for citizen-led initiatives to qualify, reducing one of the few ways Oklahoma voters can place issues directly before the electorate without legislative approval. Several of the recent changes have been challenged in court.
A check on government — and on each other
State questions have produced some of Oklahoma’s most consequential public policy decisions, often on issues that divided elected officials or could not gain enough support at the Capitol.
Whether the next major issue involves taxes, education, health care, elections or another subject entirely, Oklahoma’s initiative petition process ensures that, in some cases, lawmakers do not get the last word.
The voters do.
