OKLAHOMA CITY — Governor Kevin Stitt issued an executive order on Wednesday assigning SQ 832 to the 2026 primary elections. Spanning 21 months between the announcement and the election date, it is the longest delay of a state question in ten years.
The state question calling for a series of minimum wage increases got around 180,000 signatures as an initiative back in the spring, more than twice the number required to be put on the ballot. 157,287 signatures were certified by the Oklahoma Secretary of State.
Several groups in Oklahoma have come out to fight the state question. Namely, The Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce and the Oklahoma Farm Bureau Legal Foundation, who unsuccessfully challenged the petition with the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
If SQ 832 gets passed by the people of Oklahoma, it will amend the Oklahoma Minimum Wage Act (OMWA) to gradually increase the state’s minimum wage over four years.
Here’s how the initiative will Raise the Wage over time:
- $9/hour in 2025.
- $10.50/hour in 2026.
- $12/hour in 2027.
- $13.50/hour in 2028.
- $15/hour in 2029.
After that, beginning in 2030, the minimum wage will be pegged to the federal Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers data increasing annually.
Since Governor Stitt delayed SQ 832 until 2026, the minimum wage would increase to $12 an hour starting in 2027, if approved.
Raise the Wage’s spokesperson, Amber England, gave her reaction.
“We’re disappointed but not surprised Governor Stitt chose to play politics with people’s lives rather than empowering Oklahoma voters. Because of his decision, more than 320,000 hard-working Oklahomans will be forced to wait to see more money in their paychecks – on top of the 15 years they have already waited for politicians to act.”
She concluded, “He likely cut this deal as a favor to his deep-pocketed donors at the State Chamber who have fought this issue every step of the way.”
The Governor’s office released a statement denying the delay was about politics. Instead, it was to cut costs of a stand-alone election, saving taxpayers $1.8 million, Governor Stitt said.
Alex Gatley covers labor activities in the state of Oklahoma.