Significant Decrease In Voter Turnout For SQ820

The vote to legalize recreational marijuana in Oklahoma fails by a sizable margin, with more than 60% of voters voting against State Question 820.

It was a hard-fought battle with passionate advocates on both sides, in the end however, all 77 counties voted to reject SQ 820. 

As for the voter turnout, there was a significant decrease from previous elections. 

In 2018 when medical marijuana passed, there were over 300,000 more total votes than Tuesday's election.

The Oklahoma State Election Board reported only 25% of all registered Oklahoma voters participated in this special election. For November's general election, there was 50% voter turnout.

"They don't want more marijuana in Oklahoma, I think it's clear that they are concerned they have too much already," Terri White, former head of the Oklahoma Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services said. "I think it's time the legislature... addresses this issue that we are the 'wild west' with marijuana on every street corner available to far too many Oklahomans." 

Days before the election, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics confirmed more than half of the state's licensed marijuana growers are under criminal investigation.