State
officials have completed their review of 313,677 signatures turned in to put
the question of Medicaid expansion to a statewide vote next year.
The
secretary of state’s office counted 299,731 signatures, leaving the Medicaid
expansion campaign more than enough signatures to qualify for the ballot.
Supporters
of Medicaid expansion had to turn in nearly 178,000 valid signatures to qualify
for the ballot. The Yes on 802 campaign turned in a record number of
signatures.
The
secretary of state’s office struck some signature petitions because they either
lacked necessary circulator information or were not notarized. Representatives
from the office finished counting the signatures on Nov. 15, according to
documents submitted to the Oklahoma Supreme Court.
The
update from the secretary of state’s office means State Question 802, which
would ask voters to expand Medicaid to cover more low-income Oklahomans, is one
step closer to making it on the ballot sometime in 2020.
Now,
it's up to the state's high court to issue an order stating whether the number
of certified signatures is sufficient to put the Medicaid expansion question on
the ballot. If so, it will trigger a brief window in which opponents of the
state question can challenge the validity of the signature petitions.
About OrionNet Systems
OrionNet is an Oklahoma small
business founded in 2001. OrionNet has designed, developed and supported
applications created both for the client-server and web environments, as well
as developing, marketing and supporting a commercial application for the
counseling centers industry.
Visit the OrionNet Systems’
website, www.iorion.com, or
their social media pages, https://twitter.com/ThinkHealth & https://www.facebook.com/pages/OrionNet-Systems/139352156150090 for more information.
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