Voters Tuesday flushed a state question down the drain that would have authorized the creation of public infrastructure districts that could help cities finance improvements if all the property owners within the district agreed. Meanwhile, those going to the polls overwhelmingly supported a state question that makes it clear only U.S. citizens are qualified to vote in Oklahoma.
According to incomplete and official election returns, voters strongly rejected State Question 833, which the Legislature voted to place on the ballot earlier this year. With more than 82 percent of precincts reporting, the measure had been opposed by more than 60 percent of voters, according to unofficial results. SQ 833 would have amended the Oklahoma Constitution to allow cities to create public infrastructure districts and authorize property taxation authority that could be used to pay for roads, sidewalks and parks, as well as water and sewer improvements.
State Question 834, meanwhile, passed easily, with more than 80 percent of voters supporting the measure with more than 82 percent of precincts reporting. SQ 8344 will substitute the word “all” with “only” in Article 3, Section 1 of the Oklahoma Constitution. The section will now say that “(…) only citizens of the United States (…) are qualified electors of this state.”
Backers of SQ 834 pushed it as a preemptive measure to strengthen the state’s ban on noncitizens voting. They said they wanted to head off a recent trend of cities across the country allowing noncitizens to vote in some elections. Sixteen cities and towns in three states and the District of Columbia allow noncitizens to vote in certain local elections. None allow it in Oklahoma.
Both state questions needed a simple majority to pass. Online results are unofficial until they are certified by the Oklahoma State Election Board.
Proponents of SQ 833 said the measure would have helped developers with the cost of building housing subdivisions, especially in cities that may not have the bonding capacity to help pay those costs. Opponents said the proposal was vague by not defining “public infrastructure” and lacking sufficient safeguards. If voters had approved the proposal, lawmakers next year would have had to fill in details with statutory guidelines.
If approved by voters, SQ 833 would have allowed 100 percent of surface property owners in a portion of a municipality to petition to the city to create a PID to finance infrastructure in that area. If approved by a city council or city commission, the PID would have been able to issue bonds to finance infrastructure projects in the area. The bonds would be repaid through a property tax assessment of up to 10 mills on the properties in the public infrastructure districts. A “mill” equals $1 in tax for every $1,000 in taxable value of a property.
