Signatures turned in for State Question 832 which would raise the minimum wage in Oklahoma

Raise the Wage Oklahoma turned in nearly twice as many signatures as needed to qualify State Question 832 to appear on a ballot, the group reported this week.

They had 90 days to gather 92,263 signatures from registered Oklahoma voters, and say they ended up getting about 180,000.

If passed, SQ832 would gradually raise the minimum wage in the state to $15.00 an hour by 2029.

[ See related story HERE ]

The State Chamber of Commerce and Oklahoma Farm Bureau have both come out against 832.

Ben Lepak, spokesman for the Chamber, told KRMG in April that “This is kind of economics 101. If you double the price for a business, for one of the inputs, there’s really only two things they can do. They can raise their prices to consumers, or they can cut staff.”

But Amber England, spokeswoman with Raise the Wage Oklahoma, says it’s been 15 years since the minimum wage was raised in the state, and people are truly struggling.

Moreover, she argues, workers who make more also spend more - meaning more tax revenue.

If enough ballots get certified, the language which would appear on the ballot must be approved by the Attorney General.

[ Hear the KRMG In Depth Report with Raise the Wage Oklahoma spokesperson Amber England HERE ]

[ Hear the KRMG In Depth Report the State Chamber Research Foundation Executive Director Ben Lepak HERE ]