REFERENDUM The result of the referendum was easy to foresee

As a matter of fact, it would be quite a surprise if Oklahoma voters decided not to adopt English as the official “common and unifying language of the state. ” The November referendum was the second attempt to approve such legislation. In 2008 a similar measure, SB163, was passed by a large margin in the House of Representatives, but died in Senate. One year later, both the House of Rep-resentatives and the Senate approved the measure HJR1042, thus allow-ing it to be placed on ballot in November 2010.1 The measure was also endorsed by U.S. English, “the nation’s oldest, largest citizens ’ action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States ” (U.S. English, n.d.), which is working to establish English as the official language. It was also supported by similar organizations, namely, ProEnglish and English First (Oklahoma House of Representa-tives, 2009). Polls taken in 2010 showed widespread voters ’ support (over 80 percent) for the measure. Not surprisingly, on November 2, 2010, Oklahoma became the next –the 31st, according to the organization U.S. English – state to approve an Official English regulation SQ751. The amendment to the state Consti-tution will read, “As English is the common and unifying language of the State of Oklahoma, all official actions of the state shall be conducted in the English language, except as required by federal law. No person shal