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Oklahoma Divided: How Geography Influenced the Vote on 'Right-to-Farm'

Joe Wertz / StateImpact Oklahoma
Wheat farmer Fred Schmedt stands in one of his family's fields south of Altus, Okla.

Oklahoma voters on Tuesday soundly rejected State Question 777, a ballot measure that would have made farming and ranching a state constitutional right. The final tally was roughly 60 percent against and 40 percent in favor of the amendment — a difference of more than 290,000 votes.

A county-by-county breakdown of the results suggests geography was a major indicator of voters’ attitudes on the so-called right-to-farm amendment.

The majority of the Oklahoma’s 77 counties voted to approve SQ 777, but the measure failed the hardest in the the state’s most densely populated areas — counties like Oklahoma, Tulsa, Canadian and Cleveland, StateImpact’s analysis of unofficial results data from the Oklahoma State Election Board show.

The only highly populated county that backed the measure was Comanche County in the southwestern part of the state, where Lawton is located.

The strongest support for 777 was found in rural counties: Like Roger Mills, and Texas and Cimarron in the Panhandle.

But not all rural counties supported 777. For example: Voters in southeastern Oklahoma’s Coal County rejected the measure 53 percent to 47 percent.

The data also show a clear east-west divide on the ballot question, with agriculture-heavy western Oklahoma generally supporting the measure, while many of the counties in the eastern part of the state rejected it.


StateImpact Oklahoma is a partnership among Oklahoma’s public radio stations and relies on contributions from readers and listeners to fulfill its mission of public service to Oklahoma and beyond. Donate online.

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Joe was a founding reporter for StateImpact Oklahoma (2011-2019) covering the intersection of economic policy, energy and environment, and the residents of the state.
Logan Layden is a reporter and managing editor for StateImpact Oklahoma.
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