OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Oklahomans will vote on a gradual increase in the minimum wage to at least $15 an hour, but not until 2026, angering supporters who question the timing set by Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt.
Stitt signed an executive order this week setting the vote for June 2026, the next statewide election after November. The governor said in a statement that he waited until then rather than hold a special statewide election to save taxpayers the roughly $1.8 million it would have paid for an independent election.
Oklahoma’s minimum wage is currently $7.25, which mirrors the federal rate, although 34 states, territories and districts currently have wages higher than that, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Supporters of the Yes on State Question 832 campaign collected nearly 180,000 signatures in less than 90 days back in July, nearly double the roughly 92,000 signed registered votes needed to qualify the question for the ballot.
Campaign spokeswoman Amber England said she doesn’t buy the governor’s arguments.
“This was a political move, and if he can tell you that with a straight face, that’s interesting,” he said. “I think the governor delaying this for two years is a slap in the face to hard-working Oklahomans who would have seen more money in their paychecks as early as January if he had set the election date immediately.”
The Oklahoma State Board of Elections did not receive the declaration from the governor’s office in time to place the question on the November ballot, said agency spokeswoman Misha Mohr.
The last initiative to reach the ballot — last year’s proposal to legalize marijuana — was placed on a separate ballot in March 2023 and shot down. Stitt’s spokesman did not respond to a question about why the governor called the special election on the marijuana issue.
In a red state with a Republican governor and strong GOP majorities in both chambers of the Legislature, Oklahoma activists have turned to the initiative petition process and voters to enact many progressive ideas. This includes changes to the state’s criminal justice system, allowing medical cannabis, and expanding Medicaid health insurance to low-income residents.
In response, the Legislature has passed a law that makes it harder to get state questions on the ballot.
The minimum wage hike plan is fiercely opposed by organizations that represent the governor’s key constituencies, including the Oklahoma State Chamber, which represents business and industry across the state, as well as the Oklahoma Farm Bureau and the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association.
The concern among these groups is that when the minimum wage reaches $15 an hour in 2029, it would automatically increase annually based on cost-of-living increases as measured by the U.S. Department of Labor.
“Between now and the election, we will continue to educate Oklahomans about this harmful, job-killing issue that ends up hurting the people it’s supposed to help,” said Chad Warmington, president and CEO of The State Chamber.
According to England, Oklahoma has one of the highest rates of low-wage workers in the country, with about 320,000 workers making less than $15 an hour.
“There are over 100,000 parents in Oklahoma right now who are trying to raise their children and live on less than $15 an hour,” he said. “The effect of this policy is that 320,000 Oklahomans will receive a pay raise.”
