Oklahoma Votes Yes to English, No to Sharia

Oklahoma's voters passed a pair of ballot initiatives last night—and progressives and immigrant-rights groups are alarmed, AP reports. One of them requires that all official state actions be conducted in English, with exceptions for Native American languages and in cases when federal law requires otherwise. The other—described as a "pre-emptive action" by lawmakers—prohibits state courts from considering Sharia law when deciding cases ... something that's never been used in the state.

• Conservatives may have won big around the country, but Massachusetts voters spurned a chance to cut their taxes, voting down a proposal to drop the state sales tax from 6.25% to 3%.
• In the littlest state, voters chose to keep the longest formal name: opting to stay as Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, instead of just Rhode Island.
• Denver voters decided not to establish a commission to track extraterrestrials (The measure also would have allowed residents to post their observations on Denver's city webpage and report sightings.)