Oklahoma voters overwhelmingly rejected a ballot item that would have removed the state’s restriction against using public money for religious purposes.
Oklahomans struck down State Question 790 — a proposal to remove a constitutional ban on use of taxpayer funds for the benefit or support “of any sect, church, denomination, or system of religion” — by a margin of 57 percent to 43 percent.
Rep. John Paul Jordan (R-Yukon), a member of Trinity Baptist Church in Yukon, Okla., authored the measure after the Oklahoma Supreme Court cited the “no-aid” clause in ordering removal of a Ten Commandments monument from the state Capitol grounds.
Opponents including the Baptist Joint Committee on Religious Liberty said the U.S. Constitution already prohibits the government from establishing religion but warned that stripping the additional protection from the state constitution could have unintended consequences of opening the door to state regulation of religious institutions that accept public money.
Previous stories:
BJC lawyer urges defeat of Okla. no-aid repeal
Oklahoma Baptist official supports ‘no-aid’ repeal
BJC’s Walker says Okla. ballot question poses danger to religious institutions