Oklahoma State Question 17, Education Qualifications to Vote Initiative (August 1910)

Oklahoma State Question 17
Election date August 2, 1910
Topic Literacy, poll tax, and property voting requirements
Status Approved
Type Initiated constitutional amendment	Origin Citizens

Oklahoma State Question 17 was on the ballot as an initiated constitutional amendment in Oklahoma on August 2, 1910. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported requiring Oklahoma voters to read and write a section of the state constitution unless exempt due to voting eligibility as of January 1, 1866, or as their descendants.

A "no" vote opposed requiring Oklahoma voters to read and write a section of the state constitution unless exempt due to voting eligibility as of January 1, 1866, or as their descendants.

Election results

Oklahoma State Question 17
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		135,443	56.05%
No		106,222	43.95%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for State Question 17 was as follows:

“

That no person shall be registered as an elector in this State, be allowed to vote in any election held herein, unless he be able to read and write any section of the Constitution of the State of Oklahoma; but no person who was, on January 1, 1866, or at any time prior thereto, entitled to vote, under any form of Government, or who at that time resided in some foreign nation, and no lineal descendent of such person, shall be denied the right to register and vote because of his inability to so read and write sections of the Constitution. Precinct election inspectors having in charge the registration of electors shall enforce the provisions of this section at the time of registration, provided registration be required. Should registration be dispensed with, the provisions of this section shall be enforced by the precinct election officers when the electors apply for ballots to vote.

”

Path to the ballot

See also: Signature requirements for ballot measures in Oklahoma

In Oklahoma, the number of signatures required for an initiated constitutional amendment was equal to 15% of the votes cast in the last general election. In 2010, voters approved State Question 750, which changed the signature requirement to be based on the preceding gubernatorial election. A simple majority vote is required for voter approval.

See also

1910 Measures

• 1910 Measures
• Literacy on the ballot
• poll tax on the ballot
• and property voting requirements on the ballot
• 1910 legislative sessions

Oklahoma

• Oklahoma ballot measures
• Oklahoma ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• Oklahoma State Questions