The split decision leaves current local-tax reimbursement rules intact while making proof of identity a constitutional requirement for voting.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma voters approved a constitutional voter identification requirement Tuesday while overwhelmingly rejecting a proposal to change how the state reimburses schools and local governments for a manufacturing tax exemption.
State Question 846 passed with 54.6% of the vote. State Question 844 received just 26.3%, according to unofficial State Election Board returns. All 1,984 precincts had reported.
The voter ID amendment carried 73 of Oklahoma’s 77 counties. It lost in Cleveland, Oklahoma, Payne and Tulsa counties.
The manufacturing tax proposal failed in every county.
Voter ID requirement added to Constitution
State Question 846 adds language to the Oklahoma Constitution requiring voters to provide proof of identity in elections conducted by county election boards or the State Election Board. The requirement applies to every method of voting.
The amendment directs the Legislature to determine through state law what qualifies as proof of identity.
Oklahoma law already requires proof of identity. In-person voters may show an accepted photo ID or a free voter identification card issued by a county election board. Those without identification may sign an affidavit and cast a provisional ballot.
For most absentee voters, notarization or witness requirements serve as proof of identity under current law.
Those details are not written into the constitutional amendment and may be changed by lawmakers. The broader identification requirement, however, could not be removed without another vote of the people.
State Question 846 received 292,363 yes votes and 242,993 no votes.
Manufacturing reimbursement proposal rejected
State Question 844 would have changed a constitutional provision governing Oklahoma’s five-year property tax exemption for qualifying manufacturers.
Manufacturing facilities approved for the incentive do not pay local property taxes on eligible property during the exemption period. The state reimburses school districts, counties, municipalities and other local entities for the revenue they otherwise would have received.
The proposed amendment would have authorized the Legislature to establish new reimbursement levels and methods. Those rules could have changed how much each local entity received and how the money was distributed among counties.
Voters rejected the proposal by nearly 3-to-1, with 389,611 voting against it and 138,692 voting for it.
The outcome leaves the existing constitutional reimbursement structure in place.
Both questions were placed on the ballot by the Legislature. Unlike the Republican and Democratic runoffs held the same day, the state questions were open to every registered voter, including independents and Libertarians.
The results remain unofficial. Statewide results are scheduled for certification Sept. 1.
