A. Producers may petition at any time for a referendum to determine if the assessments levied by the Oklahoma Sheep and Wool Producers Act are to continue. The President of the State Board of Agriculture shall call and conduct a referendum if the petitions bear signatures of ten percent (10%) of the sheep and wool producers.

B. No more than one such referendum shall be conducted in any one thirty-six-month period. The State Board of Agriculture shall determine if the petition bears the required number of valid signatures.

C. The President shall announce the referendum at least thirty (30) days prior to the day of voting. At least thirty (30) days before the referendum the President shall mail a notice of said referendum to all known sheep and wool producers in the State of Oklahoma who market sheep or wool. The notice shall specify the dates, times and places for holding the referendum and shall include a sample ballot with the following wording:

DO YOU FAVOR A CONTINUATION OF THE FIFTEEN CENT ($0.15) ASSESSMENT PER HEAD ON SHEEP MARKETED IN OKLAHOMA AND THE ONE CENT ($0.01) ASSESSMENT PER POUND ON WOOL MARKETED IN OKLAHOMA FOR UTILIZATION, RESEARCH AND MARKET DEVELOPMENT?

YES _____ NO _____

D. Places within each county for conducting such referendum shall be designated by the Cooperative Extension Service of Oklahoma State University. Voting in each county shall be supervised by the county extension director or person designated by the Cooperative Extension Service if there is no county extension director in a county at the time of the referendum.

E. The Sheep and Wool Utilization, Research and Market Development Commission shall ensure sufficient ballots and supplies necessary for the conduct of the voting and tabulation of returns.

F. Certified results of the referendum in each county shall be transmitted within twenty-four (24) hours after voting ends to the President of the State Board of Agriculture and the ballots themselves shall be transmitted to the President within forty-eight (48) hours.

G. Ballots shall be preserved by the President for a period of at least three (3) months.

H. The results of the referendum shall be determined by the President and certified to the Governor, who shall issue a proclamation declaring the results.

I. The Commission shall bear expenses of advertising and conducting the referendum.

J. Whenever the question of levying the assessments is disapproved, by failure of sixty percent (60%) of the producers voting in the referendum to favor continuation of the assessments, the proclamation declaring the result shall provide for the termination of the assessments on April 30 following the date of such referendum.

K. Thirty (30) days after termination of the assessments, all remaining funds of the Commission shall be transferred to the Experiment Stations of Oklahoma State University to be used for continued research on sheep and wool.

Added by Laws 1973, c. 164, § 10, emerg. eff. May 16, 1973. Amended by Laws 1980, c. 191, § 2; Laws 1984, c. 93, § 6, emerg. eff. April 4, 1984; Laws 2001, c. 146, § 69, emerg. eff. April 30, 2001. Renumbered from § 1510 of this title by Laws 2001, c. 146, § 253, emerg. eff. April 30, 2001.