Some Oklahoma voters to receive address confirmation notices

Address Confirmation Notices Mailed to Oklahoma Voters

(Oklahoma City, April 28th) – Over the next several weeks, some registered voters in Oklahoma will receive an Address Confirmation Notice from the State Election Board. The notices are required by state law to confirm whether or not the identified voters still reside at their address on file with their county election board.

Voters who receive an Address Confirmation Notice have 60 days to respond. Voters who do not respond and confirm their address within the allotted time period will be designated as “inactive,” and are required by law to be removed from the voter rolls after the 2028 General Election. “Inactive” voters can reverse their status and avoid removal by updating their voter registration or by voting in any election on or before the 2028 General Election.

State Election Board purges 130k inactive or duplicate registrations during routine voter list maintenance

State Election Board Conducts Routine Voter List Maintenance

(Oklahoma City, OK -- January 22nd) The State Election Board completed its routine, statutorily-mandated, biennial voter list maintenance on Friday, January 17 and Tuesday, January 21. The process removed 129,680 inactive voter registrations and 2,242 duplicate voter registrations from Oklahoma’s voter rolls.

The removal of inactive and duplicate voter registrations is a thorough, multi-step process the State Election Board is required by law to conduct every two years following the General Election.

Oklahoma State Election Board celebrates 2024 voting records

Statement about Oklahoma's 2024 General Election from Paul Ziriax, Secretary of the State Election Board

(Nov. 6th) "Oklahoma's 2024 General Election is one for the history books. Unofficial results show that more Oklahomans cast a vote for President than any previous election. Voters set a new record for in-person early voting by more than 120,000. We also had the largest number of registered voters heading into this election since we began tracking this statistic in 2000. 

Oklahoma surpasses 2.4 million registered voters ahead of general election

Oklahoma Voter Registration Numbers Surpass 2.4 Million Ahead of the General Election

(Oklahoma City, November 4th) – The State Election Board has released its official pre-election voter registration statistics and the report shows that Oklahoma has reached a milestone – surpassing 2.4 million voters as of November 1, 2024. This year’s report shows a net increase of more than 141,023 registered voters since January 15 and a net increase of nearly 29,056 since September 30. The State Election Board’s official pre-election voter registration statistics show the total number of registered voters is the largest before a Presidential Election since Oklahoma began tracking pre-election voter registration statistics in 2000.

450,000 ineligible voters removed from OK voter rolls, including dead, duplicates, out-of-state movers

Needless to say, some legislative Democrats had a negative reaction to ineligible and dead voters being removed from the rolls. And no, sadly, I'm not joking about that.

GOVERNOR STITT, STATE ELECTION OFFICIALS PROVIDE UPDATE ON ELECTION INTEGRITY EFFORTS, REMOVES INELIGIBLE VOTERS FROM ROLLS

OKLAHOMA CITY (September 18, 2024) - Today, Governor Kevin Stitt and state election officials provided an update on the ongoing efforts to maintain Oklahoma’s status as a national leader in election integrity. As part of Oklahoma's routine voter list maintenance as required by law, officials announced over 453,000 voter registrations have been removed, including ineligible voters such as convicted felons and deceased voters, since 2021.

“Voting is our most sacred duty as Americans— and every Oklahoman wants to know their vote is securely cast and properly counted,” said Governor Stitt. “The State Election Board and the Secretary of State’s office continue to go above and beyond in their responsibility to ensure only eligible Oklahomans can vote in our elections. Their progress reassures me we will continue to lead the nation in election integrity efforts.”

After ballot irregularities, Lawton-area legislators call for investigative audit of sheriff runoff election

Lawton Lawmakers Call for Investigative Audit into Comanche County Sheriff Runoff Election

OKLAHOMA CITY – Reps. Trey Caldwell, R-Lawton, Daniel Pae, R-Lawton, Rande Worthen, R-Lawton, Toni Hasenbeck, R-Elgin, and Sen. Dusty Deevers, R-Elgin, today sent an urgent letter to Secretary Paul Ziriax formally requesting an investigative audit into the August 27 runoff election for Comanche County sheriff.

The legislators expressed serious concerns following reports that multiple ineligible voters received a ballot for the Republican runoff election for Comanche County sheriff. The legislators said this clear breach of electoral protocol occurred despite at least one voter contacting the Comanche County Election Board regarding the incorrect ballot, with the issue not realized until after the ballot had been cast.

Election Board: post-election audits confirm 100% accuracy of June elections

Post-Election Audits Confirm Accuracy of June Elections

(August 26th) On Monday, State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax announced that post-election audits conducted following Oklahoma's June Primary Elections confirmed the accuracy of the state's voting system with a 100% match of the certified election results.

3 parties, 2 independents qualify for Oklahoma presidential ballot

Oklahoma will have five presidential candidates on the ballot in November; three from recognized political parties, and two independents. The pecking order, established by drawing, will be as follows: Chase Oliver (Libertarian), Donald Trump (Republican), Joe Biden (Democratic assuming they don't oust him at the DNC), Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (Independent), and Chris Garrity (Independent).

Ballot Order Drawing

(Oklahoma City) – A public drawing was held today by the Secretary of the State Election Board, Paul Ziriax, to determine the ballot order for political parties and Independent candidates for the November 5 General Election ballot. The drawing was held in accordance with state law at 9:30 a.m. at the State Capitol Building, Room G3, in Oklahoma City.

The results of the drawing and the order of political parties is as follows:

Precinct worker pay doubles to help recruitment efforts statewide

Precinct Official Pay Increases to Support Recruitment Efforts Statewide

(Oklahoma City, July 12th) – A bill passed in 2023 to increase precinct official pay went into effect July 1 – doubling the pay precinct officials receive for a workday. State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax said he is confident the increase in pay will support recruitment efforts across the state.

“Precinct officials are vital to the success of elections. We are extremely grateful to our state leaders for passing legislation that not only shows our current poll workers how much we appreciate them – but also supports recruitment and retention efforts across the state,” Ziriax said.

State law requires each precinct to have a minimum of three precinct officials – an inspector, judge, and clerk. On July 1, inspector pay increased from $110 a day to $225 a day. Pay for judges and clerks increased from $100 a day to $200 a day.

Statewide candidate filing begins today

  Candidate filing at the Oklahoma State Capitol, 2018

Statewide Candidate Filing Begins April 3

(Oklahoma City) – The statewide candidate filing period is scheduled for April 3, 4, and 5, Oklahoma State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax announced today. Candidate filing hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the three-day period. Candidates filing for federal, state, and legislative offices will file with the Secretary of the State Election Board at the State Capitol, located at 2300 N. Lincoln Boulevard, Oklahoma City. Filing will take place on the ground floor of the State Capitol. Candidates filing for county offices will file at their local County Election Board office.

Annual voter registration report reveals steady growth

Annual Voter Registration Report Reveals Steady Growth

(Oklahoma City) – The Oklahoma State Election Board has released its annual voter registration report showing 2,301,188 registered voters in Oklahoma. Oklahoma’s official voter registration statistics are counted every year on January 15.

According to Oklahoma State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax, the largest number of Oklahoma's voters are Republicans, who make up 51.7% of registered voters. Democrats are the second-largest party with 28.4% of registered voters.

OK Dems open '24 primary to Independents; GOP and Libertarians keep closed primaries

Independents Eligible to Vote in 2024 Democratic Primary Elections

(Oklahoma City, Dec. 18th) – State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax announced today that he has been notified by the Oklahoma Democratic Party that it will allow Independents to vote in its primaries and runoff primaries during the 2024-2025 election years. Meanwhile, the Oklahoma Republican Party notified the Secretary that it will keep its primaries closed to Independent voters. The Libertarian Party did not formally send a notification; therefore, by default, the Libertarian Party primaries will remain closed as designated by state law. More information about political parties is available on the State Election Board website.

Small: Ranked-choice voting a bad idea

Ranked-choice voting a bad idea

By Jonathan Small

Oklahoma is one of only a relative handful of states that conduct runoff elections. Because those runoff elections cost taxpayer money – typically hundreds of thousands – and draw lower turnout, some officials argue we should abandon runoff elections and instead adopt “ranked choice” voting.

But a recent legislative study highlighted why that is a bad idea. Whatever savings might be achieved would be more than offset by widespread voter confusion, reduced transparency and effective disenfranchisement of many citizens.

2023 post-election audits confirm accuracy and consistency of Oklahoma's voting process

If only other states used Oklahoma's voting process...

2023 Post-election Audits Show Accuracy of Oklahoma's Voting System

(Oklahoma City, June 28th) – Oklahoma State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax announced that the State Election Board recently published the results of post-election audits conducted in 2023 – including an audit of election results in all 77 counties for the State Question 820 held on March 7, 2023. 

The post-election tabulation audits for the February 14, March 7, and April 4 elections were conducted by county election board secretaries from May 22 through May 25. The tabulation audits for the June 13 elections were conducted from June 21 through June 23.

Post-election audits were open to the public, and included a mix of Election Day, mail absentee, and “early voting” ballots.

Oklahoma State Election Board launches online voter registration

State Election Board Launches Online Voter Registration

(Oklahoma City) – The Oklahoma State Election Board has launched its new Online Voter Registration System, State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax (pronounced ZEER'-iks) announced.

The new online system allows individuals to complete and submit a Voter Registration Application electronically following a match of data from the applicant’s Oklahoma Driver License or State Identification Card.

“Oklahoma's new Online Voter Registration System allows citizens to securely complete and submit a Voter Registration Application electronically from a desktop or mobile device. Best of all, the system has undergone rigorous testing to ensure it is safe and secure,” Ziriax said.

Address confirmation notices mailed to 326,000 Oklahoma voters

Address Confirmation Notices Mailed to Oklahoma Voters

(Oklahoma City) – Over the next several weeks, 326,603 registered voters in Oklahoma will receive an Address Confirmation Notice from the State Election Board. The notices are required by state law.

State Election Board Secretary celebrates smooth election operation

Secretary of State Election Board Releases Statement

[Oklahoma City, OK || November 10th] The Secretary of the State Election Board released a statement today regarding the November 8 General Election and voter turnout.

Statement from Secretary Paul Ziriax:

"For election officials, the General Election is our Super Bowl. No election is perfect, but overall this one went pretty smoothly. I want to offer a big 'thank you' to all of the poll workers, county election board members and staff, State Election Board staff, and other election officials who worked very hard to ensure Oklahomans were able to vote in a free and fair election. I am very appreciative of our partner agencies who help us protect Oklahoma's election system and keep it secure. And I want to thank the voters who took time to exercise their right to vote."

Additional Information about Oklahoma's 2022 General Election:

• Official pre-election voter registration showed 2,295,906 registered voters in Oklahoma. At the 2018 gubernatorial election, there were 2,120,843 registered voters.
• Preliminary, unofficial 2022 General Election results show turnout to be about 50.3% of registered voters. This compares to 56.15% of registered voters in 2018.
• Preliminary, unofficial 2022 General Election results show about 1.155 million ballots scanned – about 36,000 fewer than the nearly 1.191 million in 2018.
• Preliminary, unofficial 2022 General Election results show more than 480,000 voters marked "straight party" – 69.82% for Republicans, 29.08% for Democrats, and 1.10% for Libertarians. (Reminder: A vote for an individual candidate overrides a "straight party" mark.)
• Election Results are unofficial until certified. Any provisional ballots determined to be eligible will be counted by County Election Boards and added to the vote totals on Friday, November 11. County Election Boards meet on Friday, November 11 at 5PM to certify county-level election results. The State Election Board meets on Tuesday, November 15 at 5PM to certify results for federal and state races.

State Election Board releases official pre-election voter registration statistics

State Election Board Releases Official Pre-Election Voter Registration Statistics

(Oklahoma City) – Nearly 2.3 million Oklahomans are registered to vote ahead of the November 8 General Election, with a net increase of more than 77,000 registered voters since January 15 and a net increase of more than 175,000 registered voters since November 1, 2018.

Oklahoma’s voter registration statistics show that registered Republicans now make up 51.19% of Oklahoma’s registered voters, while Democrats make up 29.95% of registered voters. Independents make up the third largest group of registered voters with 18%, while Libertarians continue to increase voter registration numbers with 0.86%. It is the first time that official voter registration statistics show Democrats at less than 30% of registered voters. As recently as 2014, Democrats were Oklahoma’s largest political party.

Election Board encourages absentee voters to mail ballots ASAP

Voters Encouraged to Mail Absentee Ballots as Soon as Possible

(Oklahoma City, October 31st) – The Secretary of the State Election Board is encouraging voters who have requested absentee ballots to mail those ballots back as soon as possible to ensure they are received by their County Election Board before the deadline. “While our county election boards work closely with local post offices to ensure that every mail ballot makes it into the hands of election officials by 7 p.m. on Election Day, we encourage voters to follow United States postal guidelines and mail ballots at least seven days prior to the election.” said Secretary Paul Ziriax. “Voters should consider the amount of time needed to vote their ballot, as well as the distance the ballot has to travel,” he added.

Early Voting for General Election begins earlier this year

Early Voting for General Election Begins Earlier This Year

(Oklahoma City) – An extra day of early voting has been added for the November 8 General Election this year thanks to new legislation enacted in 2021, the Secretary of the State Election Board reminded voters today. “For the first time ever, early voting will begin on the Wednesday prior to the General Election, adding an extra day for voters to cast their ballots,” said Secretary Paul Ziriax.