{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-34-34-9","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 34, § 34-9","heading":"Filing - Ballot title - Official ballot title - Review by","body":"Attorney General - Appeal.\n\nA. When a referendum is ordered by petition of the people\n\nagainst any measure passed by the Legislature or when any measure is\n\nproposed by initiative petition, whether as an amendment to the\n\nOklahoma Constitution or as a statute, it shall be the duty of the\n\nparties submitting the measure to prepare and file one copy of the\n\nmeasure with the Secretary of State and one copy with the Attorney\n\nGeneral.\n\nB. The parties submitting the measure shall also submit a\n\nsuggested ballot title to the Secretary of State which shall be\n\nfiled on a separate sheet of paper and shall not be part of or\n\nprinted on the petition. The suggested ballot title:\n\n1. Shall not exceed two hundred words, or three hundred words\n\nif the proposed measure will have a fiscal impact on the state;\n\n2. Shall explain in basic words, which can be easily found in\n\ndictionaries of general usage, the effect of the proposition;\n\n3. Shall not contain any words which have a special meaning for\n\na particular profession or trade not commonly known to the citizens\n\nof this state;\n\n4. Shall not contain euphemisms, words, or phrases regarded in\n\npopular parlance as code words, or an apparent attempt to deceive\n\nvoters;\n\n5. Shall not reflect partiality in its composition or contain\n\nany argument for or against the measure;\n\n6. Shall contain language which clearly states that a “yes”\n\nvote is a vote in favor of the proposition and a “no” vote is a vote\n\nagainst the proposition;\n\n7. Shall not contain language whereby a “yes” vote is, in fact,\n\na vote against the proposition and a “no” vote is, in fact, a vote\n\nin favor of the proposition; and\n\n8. Shall indicate if a proposed measure will have a fiscal\n\nimpact on the state and if so, the potential source of funding\n\nincluding, but not limited to, federal funding or legislative\n\nappropriation which may require imposition of a new tax, increase of\n\nan existing tax, or elimination of existing services.\n\nC. When a measure is proposed as a constitutional amendment by\n\nthe Legislature or when the Legislature proposes a statute\n\nconditioned upon approval by the people:\n\n1. After final passage of a measure, the Secretary of State\n\nshall submit the proposed ballot title to the Attorney General for\n\nreview as to legal correctness. Within five (5) business days after\n\nreceipt from the Secretary of State, the Attorney General shall, in\n\nwriting, notify the Secretary of State, the President Pro Tempore of\n\nthe Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the\n\nprincipal authors of the bill whether or not the proposed ballot\n\ntitle complies with applicable laws. The Attorney General shall\n\nstate with specificity any and all defects found and, if necessary,\n\nwithin ten (10) business days of determining that the proposed\n\nballot title is defective, prepare a preliminary ballot title which\n\ncomplies with the law and furnish a copy of such ballot title to the\n\nSecretary of State, the President Pro Tempore of the Senate, the\n\nSpeaker of the House of Representatives and the principal authors of\n\nthe bill. The Attorney General may consider any comments made by\n\nthe President Pro Tempore of the Senate or the Speaker of the House\n\nof Representatives submitted within five (5) business days of their\n\nbeing furnished a copy of the preliminary ballot title. The\n\nAttorney General shall respond in writing to the comments and shall\n\nfile a final ballot title with the Secretary of State no later than\n\nfifteen (15) business days after furnishing the preliminary ballot\n\ntitle; and\n\n2. After receipt of the measure and the official ballot title,\n\nas certified by the Attorney General, the Secretary of State shall\n\nwithin five (5) days transmit to the Secretary of the State Election\n\nBoard an attested copy of the measure, including the official ballot\n\ntitle.\n\nD. The following procedure shall apply to ballot titles of\ness days after furnishing the preliminary ballot\n\ntitle; and\n\n2. After receipt of the measure and the official ballot title,\n\nas certified by the Attorney General, the Secretary of State shall\n\nwithin five (5) days transmit to the Secretary of the State Election\n\nBoard an attested copy of the measure, including the official ballot\n\ntitle.\n\nD. The following procedure shall apply to ballot titles of\n\nreferendums ordered by a petition of the people or any measure\n\nproposed by an initiative petition:\n\n1. After the filing of the signed referendum petitions or the\n\nsigned initiative petitions, the Secretary of State shall submit the\n\nproposed separate ballot title to the Attorney General for review as\n\nto legal correctness. Within five (5) business days after the\n\nreceipt of the ballot title, the Attorney General shall, in writing,\n\nnotify the Secretary of State whether or not the proposed ballot\n\ntitle complies with applicable laws. The Attorney General shall\n\nstate with specificity any and all defects found and, if necessary,\n\nwithin ten (10) business days of determining that the proposed\n\nballot title is defective, prepare and file a ballot title which\n\ncomplies with the law; and\n\n2. Within ten (10) business days after completion of the review\n\nand, if necessary, the filing of a ballot title in compliance with\n\nlaw, by the Attorney General, the Secretary of State shall, if no\n\nappeal is filed, transmit to the Secretary of the State Election\n\nBoard an attested copy of the measure, including the official ballot\n\ntitle, and a certification that the requirements of this section\n\nhave been met. If an appeal is taken from such ballot title within\n\nthe time specified in Section 10 of this title, then the Secretary\n\nof State shall certify to the Secretary of the State Election Board\n\nthe ballot title which is finally approved by the Supreme Court.\n\nR.L. 1910, § 3376. Amended by Laws 1939, p. 145, § 1, emerg. eff.\n\nFeb. 24, 1939; Laws 1965, c. 224, § 1, emerg. eff. June 16, 1965;","path":["OK Code","Title 34"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os34.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"3f58200b1f4b8a1b0a7b03333a2d8b4988baa59a4ab9a0eb2cd3e6710e401653","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-34-34-8v2","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-36-36-1001"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}