Early Voting times adjusted this week due to Independence Day holiday

I have been swamped lately, but for readers in the City of Muskogee, we have a sales tax election coming up on Tuesday. I hope to get a post out on the particulars of the municipal proposition, but if you're one of those who votes through in-person Early Voting, those times have been moved to Wednesday and Thursday due to the Independence Day holiday:

Early Voting Begins Tomorrow!

Oklahoma City (July 1st) - Early voting begins tomorrow for some voters in Creek, Muskogee, Osage, and Seminole County. Due to early voting for the July 8 Election coinciding with the July 4th holiday, the Secretary of the State Election Board - as authorized by 26 O.S. § 1-106 -  has moved early voting for the July 8 Election to Wednesday, July 2 and Thursday, July 3 (8 a.m. - 6 p.m.) . A list of early voting locations, dates, and times is available on the State Election Board website.

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.

Voter Registration Maps: Oklahoma gets redder with Trump

Here's the 2025 installment of my long-running Voter Registration Maps series. My last update came in May, after Coal County became the 77th and final county to have a Republican plurality. After a brief setback in 2023 (first decline in 26 years), registration changes once again benefited the GOP in 2024 - riding the Trump coattails, no doubt.

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.

State Election Board offers tips, reminders for Oklahoma Voters

State Election Board Offers Tips, Reminders for Oklahoma Voters

(Oklahoma City, November 1st) – Voters head to the polls Tuesday for the General Election. The State Election Board offers these tips and reminders to Oklahoma voters ahead of the November 5 General Election.

Oklahoma: Early voting for the General Election begins today

Early Voting for the General Election Begins Wednesday

(Oklahoma City, Oct. 28th) – “Early voting” – officially known as in-person absentee voting – begins at 8:00 a.m. on Wednesday for the November 5 General Election.

Early voting will be held Wednesday, October 30 through Friday, November 1 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday, November 2 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. No excuse is needed to vote early, but voters must provide proof of identity when checking in at their early voting site. More information about accepted forms of identity is available on the State Election Board website.

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.”

Olsen praises high election integrity scores for Oklahoma

Olsen Comments on High Election Integrity Scores for Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY – Rep. Jim Olsen, R-Roland, commented on the consistently high performance of the state of Oklahoma in election integrity.

"Oklahomans are very concerned with the issue of election integrity," Olsen said. "They want election results to be accurate, and not fraudulent. I am happy to report that for a number of years, Oklahoma has had an excellent system. I am especially happy to report that our performance is steadily improving.

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.

State Election Board gives tips, reminders for August 27 runoff election

State Election Board Offers Tips and Reminders Ahead of August 27 Runoff Primary

(Oklahoma City) – Voters in 53 counties head to the polls Tuesday for the August 27 Runoff Primary Election and several nonpartisan elections. The State Election Board offers these tips and reminders to Oklahoma voters ahead of the election.

Sen. Boren applauds bipartisan effort to raise precinct official pay; encourages Oklahomans to apply for jobs

Sen. Boren applauds bipartisan effort to raise precinct official pay; encourages Oklahomans to apply for jobs

OKLAHOMA CITY (July 17th) – Sen. Mary Boren said legislation that took effect July 1 doubling precinct official pay will not only help address poll worker shortages seen in recent years, but also points to the positive impact of bipartisan efforts to address pressing issues facing the state. Boren was a co-author to her colleague Sen. Warren Hamilton’s Senate Bill 290, which was approved during the 2023 legislative session.

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.

Coal County flips: Oklahoma GOP now leads in all 77 counties

The last installment of my long-running Voter Registration Maps series came in February, but this is a big milestone deserving of its own post. At long last, after 116½ years, Republicans lead voter registration in all of Oklahoma's 77 counties. 

New law signed to restore voter rights for people granted a pardon or commutation to time served

Bill signed into law restoring voter rights for people granted a pardon or commutation to time served

OKLAHOMA CITY (May 16th) – HB 1629 was signed into law earlier this week. It restores voter rights for people convicted of a felony who have received a commutation or a pardon to time served. It also restores voter rights for those who have had their sentence discharged or reclassified as a misdemeanor to time served.

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.

State Election Board: post-election audits confirm results of recent legislative races

Post-Election Audits Confirm Results of Recent Legislative Races

(Oklahoma City, February 29th) – The State Election Board announced today that post-election audits conducted last week confirmed the results of the recent State Senator, District 32 Special General Election and State Representative, District 39 Special Primary Election and Special General Election.