[lg policy] Oklahoma Voters Approve State Official English Law

[Harold Schiffman]

Oklahoma Voters Approve State Official English Law
More than 75 percent of voters cast “yes” ballot for State Question 751
November 3, 2010

Washington, D.C. – Oklahoma voters decisively approved State Question
751 yesterday, officially becoming the 31st state to make English its
official language. The constitutional amendment passed with more than
75 percent of the vote, as nearly 750,000 Oklahomans cast ballots in
favor of the measure. The approved constitutional amendment makes
English the official language of all government business and
proceedings in Oklahoma, with exceptions made for Native American
languages and requirements of federal law. Like all other official
English laws and legislation, Oklahoma’s amendment does not affect
emergency services, languages spoken at home, or citizens in
non-government related business.

Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English, Inc. issued the follow
statement after the results were certified Tuesday night: “Voters in
Oklahoma have overwhelmingly united behind our common language of
English. They understand that this isn’t a Republican, Democrat or
Independent issue- It’s an American issue that unites us all as one
people. With all the support we saw tonight I extend my
congratulations to Rep. Randy Terrill for his outstanding work in
bringing this issue before the voters and for his re-election to the
Oklahoma House of Representatives.”


Voter referendums to make English the official language of the state
have appeared on nine statewide ballots since 1986. All of these
initiatives have passed, beginning with California (1986), Colorado
(1988), Alabama (1988), Arizona (1988) and Florida (1988). In 1998
Alaskans passed an official English measure, followed two years later
by Utah. Arizona voters placed a new official English measure on the
books in 2006, while Missourians voted to strengthen the state’s
official English law in Nov. 2008.

http://www.us-english.org/view/798

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 Harold F. Schiffman

Professor Emeritus of
 Dravidian Linguistics and Culture
Dept. of South Asia Studies
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305

Phone:  (215) 898-7475
Fax:  (215) 573-2138

Email:  haroldfs at gmail.com
http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/

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