State Question 832, a ballot measure to raise Oklahoma’s minimum wage, has been set for 2026 instead of the November ballot.
SQ 832 aims to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 by 2029.
Both the Oklahoma Farm Bureau and the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association confirmed their opposition to the State Question on Wednesday when contacted by the Oklahoma Farm Report.
Executive Vice President Michael Kelsey offered this statement of the cattle producer group being in opposition- “Earlier this spring, OCA adopted policy opposing the passage of State Question 832. While the main push of the question is to set a higher minimum wage and then tie it to annual increases based upon a federal index, OCA’s main opposition is to striking the language protecting agriculture workers. The Question ignores the unique nature of working in agriculture which everyone in rural Oklahoma knows is not tied to a clock. SQ 832 will have devastating impacts on agriculture therefore OCA is strongly opposed.”
Farm Director KC Sheperd talked to Oklahoma Farm Bureau President Rodd Moesel on Wednesday who says “Our board has been very concerned and the word we have been hearing from our members is not so much the $15.00 an hour at the start…but it’s setting a permanent increase that will be tied each year based on a federal cost of living index.”
Moesel says the general farm group is also worried that it will remove all of the ag labor exemptions at the state level for overtime that can cause problems at harvest and more.
Listen to KC and Rodd Moesel by clicking on the LISTEN BAR below:
Gov. Stitt has set the date for the state question to appear on the gubernatorial primary ballot on June 16, 2026, bypassing more than a dozen possible election days before then.
The Governor’s office said the decision saves $1.8 million dollars for the cost of a standalone, statewide election. Supporters of the measure, who are confident it will pass, complain the potential pay raise for 327,000 Oklahomans moves from January 1 of 2025, to January 2027.
“This is really disrespecting the will of the voters,” said Amber England, who organized the Raise the Wage Oklahoma campaign.
The Oklahoma Secretary of State’s Office officially verified 157,287 signatures for the ballot measure to raise the minimum wage in August. The signature count needed to reach a minimum of 92,263 signatures for State Question 832 to make the Oklahoma ballot.
While supporters of the measure were hopeful that it would appear on the November ballot, the governor has the discretion to call a special election or place the vote on any statewide election.
It is unclear how the date chosen will impact the bill’s language, which would have required Oklahoma employers to pay a minimum of $9 an hour beginning in 2025 and increasing by $1.50 at an annual rate until reaching $15 an hour in 2029. The minimum wage would then increase automatically based on the increase in the cost of living as measured by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index. (Full Language Below)
With the vote now scheduled for 2026, employers would miss the first increase of the measure if it were approved by the people and jump straight to $12 and hour. The measure also states that it would go into effect in January following the election and would not be retroactive.
