06/08/2026
🗳️ Primary Elections are June 16th!!
What’s your plan to vote?
• 📬 Absentee: Mail your ballot TODAY.
• 🕒 Early Voting: At your County Election Board Thursday & Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. and Saturday from 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
• 📍 Election Day: Visit your regular precinct from 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
📈 RAISE THE WAGE 📈
In addition to several important Democratic Primaries (for US Senate, Congress, Governor, State Superintendent, and local legislators and county officials), ALL VOTERS will also have a ballot for State Question 832 to raise the minimum wage.
I hope you’ll join me in voting YES. Here’s why:
• 💼 Raising the wage helps small businesses. In 2009, the last time Oklahoma raised the minimum wage, I owned and managed a restaurant. Like today, the Oklahoma Restaurant Association and other supposed pro-business organizations had us terrified that it was going to be a business killer. They were wrong then and they are wrong now. Because we paid our employees competitive wages well above the minimum, our staff averaged 2 years in our employment, which saved us thousands in training costs. Plus, more employees making more money means all businesses have more customers ready to spend.
• 🎈 Raising wages does not drive inflation. The cost of goods businesses buy and sell is driven by supply and demand in the national economy. Oklahoma’s minimum wage will not cause even a blip in the inflation we’re experiencing thanks to tariffs, foreign wars, and billionaire tax cuts. Raising the wage will have a billion-dollar positive impact on our state’s economy.
• 🗺️ Raising wages does not make us California. In fact, it makes us more like Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, and Florida, whose minimums range from $11 - $15 per hour today.
• ⚖️ Raising wages as costs rise is good policy. SQ 832 slowly raises our minimum pay to $15 by 2029. After that, this law takes the politics out of future raises by connecting it to the Consumer Price Index. If inflation climbs 2%, minimum wages match. That could equal $15.30 in 2030. It’s manageable, reasonable growth in line with costs should they rise.
🔗 For more information, check out Oklahoma Policy Institute:
This page provides information and resources on the Oklahoma minimum wage increase ballot initiative (SQ 832). It will be updated throughout the election cycle.
