On November 6, Oklahoma voters will decide the fate of five state questions that cover issues that could affect everyone in the state.

If passed, the questions would alter how public schools spend their building funds, expand retail sales of eyeglasses, grow the rights of victims of crimes, make candidates for governor and lieutenant governor run on the same ticket and funnel taxes from the state gross production tax to a new “vision fund.”

SQ793 would amend the Oklahoma Constitution and open the doors to optometrists and opticians to open shop in retail locations like Wal-Mart and Costco. The Legislature could still place limits on performing surgery, the number of retail locations, licensing, the layout of a store and health/safety rules.

Proponents claim that Oklahoma is lagging in allowing this change compared to other states. According to yeson793.com, if SQ793 passes, the average savings for patients at large retailers would be $200 – according to Consumer Reports.

“Allowing state optometrists to have their offices in large stores gives seniors a one-stop shop to improve their vision and get new glasses,” according to a press release from the Silver-Haired Legislature.

Only Oklahoma, Delaware and Rhode Island don’t allow optometrists to practice in a retail setting like Wal-Mart, Target, etc.

Opponents say it would give retail giants control over optometric physicians’ practice in conflict with the Oklahoma Optometry Board. They don’t want Wal-Mart telling doctors how to practice.

”The main problem is that it gives corporations to determine how an optometrist can practice in Oklahoma,” said Dr. Joe Phillipson the Oklahomans Against 793 Facebook account. “There’s no safety net for the public.”

Phillips said this is the first step for similar change in podiatry, dentistry and even the general practice of medicine. “Wal-Mart will tell us how to practice,” Phillips said.

SQ794 is a constitutional amendment that tilts the law toward the rights of a victim of a crime. It expands the right for a victim to be heard in a trial and adds protections against unreasonable delays plus the right to talk to a prosecutor. It would let victims refuse an interview request from a defendant’s attorney without a subpoena.

Victims would have a right to know when a defendant is released or escapes from custody. This proposal has been called “Marsy’s Law.”

The Oklahoma State Medical Association (OSMA), Oklahoma Nurses Association, the OK Association of Family Physicians, Care Providers Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Behavioral Health Association have endorsed passage of SQ794.  

OSMA President-Elect Larry Bookman, M.D., said physicians want to make sure that the individuals they treat and heal following a crime receive the same level of support within the criminal justice system.

“Some of the crime victims are suffering profound physical and emotional trauma,” said Bookman. “As physicians, we do everything possible to address their physical injuries so they can return to their normal lives, but they need a support system in place when they leave our hospitals or clinics. Part of that is making sure the criminal justice system treats them with respect and dignity.”

SQ798 would amend the Oklahoma Constitution by changing the way voters elect the governor and lieutenant governor. Now, they run in separate races. If SQ798 passes, candidates from the same party would run in a single ticket, the way that the presidential races are conducted.

Lawmakers added this to the ballot. Legislators would pass state laws on how this would work and the change would occur for the 2026 election cycle.

Proponents of SQ798 say it would eliminate a split ticket, with the governor being from one party and the lieutenant governor from another. It could generate more coverage for the lieutenant governor race and it could manufacture more unity between those two elected officials.

Opponents say it limits voter options and puts too much power in the hands of the governor. And in case of impeachment of a governor, it would be better to have a lieutenant governor who is more independent. Some argue that the lieutenant governor doesn’t have much to do and that position should be eliminated.

SQ800 is a constitutional amendment that would expand government by creating “The Oklahoma Vision Fund.” If passed, starting July 1, 2020, 5 percent of the state’s gross production taxes on oil and natural gas would go into this new fund. After the first full fiscal year, the fund would grow by two-tenths percentage points each year and lawmakers could add money to the fund.

The fund could be invested in stocks and securities and the amount of the fund used to pay off debt would be limited to 5 percent of the balance.

Authored by Sen. John Sparks and Rep. Charles McCall, legislators put this on the ballot in an attempt to average out the ups and downs of state revenue.

Opponents say that the state already has a Rainy Day Fund that accomplishes the same objective. This new fund could potentially divert too much money into reserve accounts. They also say it lacks specifics on how this fund could go to cities, counties and other government agencies.

SQ801, authored by Sen. Stephanie Bice, R-Oklahoma City, is a constitutional amendment that alters how a public school district can spend property tax money. If it passes, money placed in a district’s building fund could for the first time be spent for operations as determined by local school boards.

Proponents say this would give school districts flexibility in their funding. Suburban districts – like Broken Arrow, Owasso, Jenks, Union, Bixby and others – could pass bond issues to boost classroom teacher salaries.

Some educators oppose the change because it is not a tax increase. They complain that building funds are already in short support and this would widen the gap between rich and poor districts.

Several attempts at state questions failed to make the ballot.

SQ799 was an initiative petition that tried to overturn the largest tax hike in state history but it was ruled invalid by the Oklahoma Supreme Court.

SQ797 was an initiative petition that sought a constitutional amendment to legalize recreational use of marijuana. It failed for a lack of legal signatures.

SQ796 was an initiative petition that wanted to change the Oklahoma Constitution to legalize the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes. On June 26, state voters approved a statutory change to legalize medical marijuana.