Voter ID requirements now in Oklahoma constitution with passage of State Question 846

Voter identity requirements will be enshrined in Oklahoma’s constitution following the passage of State Question 846 Tuesday night. The Associated Press called the race with 75% of votes counted. 

The ballot initiative, supported by Republican lawmakers eager to prevent “illegal aliens” from voting and opposed by Democrats who say there’s no evidence of widespread fraud in the state, passed with 56.1% of the vote, as of 8:30 p.m. Meanwhile, a slight majority of Tulsa County voters voted against the constitutional amendment. 

State law already requires voters to show proof of identity before casting their ballots. State Question 846 adds that requirement to the state constitution and allows Oklahoma lawmakers to specify those ID requirements. 

Voters approved a 2010 initiative creating Oklahoma’s proof of identity law. State law requires voters to show proof of identity at the polling place or during early voting at a county election board. Voters are also required to register ahead of time. 

Proof of identity includes any document issued by the U.S. government, the State of Oklahoma or a federally recognized tribal government. 

If someone declines to provide or does not have proof of identity, Oklahoma law allows them to vote by signing an affidavit with a provisional ballot. The county election board investigates the information and either approves or denies the ballot. 

State Question 846 adds these measures to Article 3 of the Oklahoma Constitution. It also bans future legislatures from repealing the voter ID law. 

This article was produced as part of a partnership between the Tulsa Flyer and La Semana, a Tulsa-based bilingual Spanish-English newspaper serving Latino communities in Oklahoma. 

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