With the U.S. election nearing an end, there are many voters that still have the misconception that this election is only to appoint the president of the United States, which is far from the fact.

There is more at stake in this election than in most presidential elections from the appointment of new Supreme Court justices to electing new people to represent American society.

Many people, however, are unaware of the state questions on the ballot that can change laws which may affect our industry and way of life.

Many of these questions have to do with federal regulations on the state and national level that deal with reformed punishment for possession of narcotics, raising salary for teachers, and the approval for convenience stores to sell full strength alcohol along with other measures which include State Bill 777 otherwise known as “The Right to Farm” bill.

According to the Red Dirt Report, there is a wide consensus among many Oklahomans, farmers and alike, that there should be minimal government intervention when it comes to how food is produced and processed.

The Oklahoma Secretary of State website declares that this bill would allow farmers to use any farming equipment, procedures, or ranching practices without any government scrutiny.

This is a relief to most farmers because they feel that government regulations on the agriculture industries hinder their business; however, there is a lot of discrepancy among voters when it comes to supporting this issue.

Although this bill does limit regulations, it also allows agricultural corporations to get away with more because this bill will make it more difficult to win a lawsuit against them.

This means that these companies can pollute streams and forests without punishment because what they are doing is within the law.

The Oklahoma Stewardship council met last year to discuss this law that will be taken into vote on November 8, with concern.

Many on the council also feared that this would be more favorable to foreign corporations operating in Oklahoma in a sense that there will be no government to stop them from doing things in an unjust manner.

I also feel that the name of the bill even contradicts what it would actually do because farmers already have a right to farm; no one is stopping them.

I just think that this law would have dire consequences for individual farmers that would ignore the needs of the individual farmers.

This law will be voted on November 8.

Jackson Miller