Economy

OKC socialists position SQ 832 within their broader ideological agenda

May 18, 2026

Ray Carter

As the June election for State Question 832 nears, the Oklahoma City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) remains among the most prominent backers of the initiative, which would dramatically increase Oklahoma’s minimum wage and mandate continual increases in future years based on the cost of living in places like New York City.

Oklahoma City socialists have promoted mail-in voting for SQ 832 and also planned “multiple actions” across Oklahoma on May 16, as well as “canvassing in OKC Ward 6” on May 17.

In a recent statement, the Democratic Socialists of America included the group’s work on SQ 832 as part of a broader agenda that includes support for illegal immigration and anti-Israel activity.

“Over the last few years, the Oklahoma City DSA has been a part of various efforts, from starting a BDS campaign, teaching self-defense to our queer community, campaigning for a higher minimum wage, and forming tight-knit relationships with our indigenous and undocumented neighbors,” the group declared.

BDS refers to “Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions,” a strategy that advocates punitive measures against Israel.

Similarly, on May 15, amid the group’s work promoting SQ 832, the Oklahoma City DSA also commemorated “the 78th anniversary of the Nakba,” referring to the Palestinian observance of its loss in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war, and urged Oklahomans to “join DSA’s Palestine Solidarity Working Group” for a documentary screening.

The Oklahoma City DSA’s comments tying SQ 832 to pro-illegal immigration work and other issues were included in a longer statement observing the anniversary of the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Murrah federal building in Oklahoma City by Timothy McVeigh, who acted with the assistance of Terry Nichols.

In that statement, the Oklahoma City Democratic Socialists of America proclaimed the Murrah bombing was a byproduct of U.S. military policy.

“The fact that this reactionary violence washed over the country in the aftermath of the Gulf Wars is no coincidence,” the Oklahoma City Democratic Socialists of America stated. “McVeigh and Nichols were trained by a United States Army that adopts terrorism as its official military doctrine, treating civilians and children as valid military targets. As a growing fascist bloc escalates its violence in the present day, we must be clear that this is a consequence of waging perpetual imperialist wars against civilian populations—a society built on white supremacy cannot train its youth to commit terrorism without expecting this brutality to return home.”

State Question 832 would raise Oklahoma’s minimum wage from $7.25 today to $15 by 2029 and then continue raising the mandate every year. The proposal would impose continual annual increases in Oklahoma’s minimum wage based on changes in the cost of living in the nation’s largest urban centers, as measured by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers.

That would effectively mandate wage levels far above market rates in Oklahoma, which currently has a low cost of living, based on the high cost of living in places like New York City or San Francisco. An analysis by The State Chamber of Oklahoma and Oklahoma Farm Bureau found that SQ 832 could put Oklahoma’s minimum wage on a fast track to $35.61 per hour and more.

[Photo Credit: David Shankbone]