The Oklahoma Supreme Court is considering whether the legalization initiative qualifies for the vote

The Oklahoma Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to settle a dispute over a recreational cannabis initiative that could appear on the state’s ballot this year, giving activists hope the proposal still stands.

Last week, prospects for the initiative looked bleak. Although the Oklahoma Secretary of State confirmed that organizers had submitted more than the required number of signatures for the proposal to qualify for voting, supporters lamented that it was unlikely to be confirmed before the Aug. 29 deadline .

As the Associated Press detailed Tuesday, Oklahomans for Sensible Marijuana Laws, the group behind the proposal, known as State Question 820, “raised enough signatures to qualify for a statewide vote, but because it was taking longer than usual, counting the signatures, it is not clear if there will be enough time to print the question on the ballot papers ahead of the November 8 general election.”

Supporters of the state issue 820 petitioned the Oklahoma Supreme Court to settle the matter.

“Since submitting their initiative more than six months ago, supporters have done everything in their power to expedite the cumbersome Oklahoma Initiative petition process so that the people of Oklahoma can exercise their right to vote in the next general election,” it said in the Yes Next 820 campaign wrote in the petition, as quoted by the Associated Press. “Yet they were hampered by state officials (or their handpicked providers) who were either unable or unwilling to perform their administrative duties in a timely and efficient manner.”

On Tuesday, the state Supreme Court issued “an order of assumption of jurisdiction to determine whether the state issue will appear on the November 2022 ballot,” according to Tulsa Public Radio, a decision that pleased the SQ 820 campaign.

According to the broadcaster, “the measure must survive the 10-day publication period before the judges approve it for the general election.”

“We’re really excited,” campaign manager Michelle Tilley said, as quoted by local news channel Fox 25. “We are thrilled because the Supreme Court has recognized that we have enough valid signatures to move forward, and we are thrilled because they have left open the possibility that after our 10-day protest period has expired, they have the power to do so put to the vote in November.”

“We did what we had to do, we worked really, really hard,” added Tilley, as quoted by Tulsa Public Radio. “We even submitted our signatures 30 days earlier. We’ve done everything we can to meet those deadlines and it’s difficult. We play by the rules and then the rules change, so.”

The 820 campaign was particularly hampered by a new voting system introduced in Oklahoma this year.

The Associated Press reports, “While the Oklahoma Secretary of State’s office has typically performed signature counting in-house, this year’s process involved contracting with a company affiliated with a political polling firm to provide software and technical support to verify the status of voter registration of signers” and that as a result “proponents say a signature counting process that normally takes two to three weeks has taken nearly seven weeks.”

“This new process differs significantly from the historical practice of merely counting the number of people who signed the petition without regard to their voter registration status,” Oklahoma Secretary of State Brian Bingman said in a statement, as quoted by the Associated Press. “Our office has been in constant communication with advocates and we look forward to working with them and other interested parties as we continue to improve this new process.”