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Elections In Oklahoma
Below you will find information regarding Elections in Oklahoma. You can find out when they are held, where they are held, and some important information on how to place your ballot. The information below has been provided by The Oklahoma State Election Board Voter Information Pamphlet.
Elections
in Oklahoma
Elections in Oklahoma are always held on Tuesdays.
County, state and federal elections are held in even-numbered years.
- Primaries are held on the fourth Tuesday in July.
- Runoff primaries are held the third Tuesday in August.
- General Elections are held on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November.
- Presidential primaries are held on the first Tuesday in February in presidential election years.
School elections are held every year on the second Tuesday in February.
School board runoff elections are held on the first Tuesday in April,
if needed.
Most municipal elections are held in March and April in the odd-numbered
years. The exact dates vary from town to town, but may be obtained from
municipal officials.
If you are registered to vote in Oklahoma, you may vote in any election
for which you are eligible, including:
- School district elections
- Municipal elections
- County elections
- State elections
- Federal elections
You may vote in a school district election only if you are registered
and reside at an address within the geographical boundaries of the district.
You may vote in a municipal election only if you are registered and
reside at an address within the geographical boundaries of the municipality.
At the Polling Place
You vote at the polling place for the precinct in which you live. A
precinct is a voting district established by your county election board.
The name of your polling place is on your voter identification card.
The polls open at 7a.m. on election day and remain open until 7p.m.
If you are in the line to vote at 7p.m., you will be able to vote.
When you go to your polling place, poll workers will:
- Ask your name and political affiliation
- Find your name in the precinct registry
- Tell you to sign the precinct registry
- Give you a ballot and a pen
- Direct you to a voting booth
After you mark you ballot, please put it in the voting device and leave
the polling place.
If your name is not “in the book,” you still can vote by showing
your voter identification card. First, however, you must fill out a
voter registration application form, sign a special form, and turn in
your voter identification card. (The county election board will mail
a new voter identification card to you after the election.)
If you make a mistake when you mark your ballot, don’t try to correct
it. Instead, take it back to the poll workers and tell them you made
a mistake. If you received more than one ballot, and you marked all
the others correctly, put the correct ballots in the voting device.
The poll worker will tear up the spoiled ballot and then give you a
new one. After you have marked it, put it in the voting device.
Closed Primary Elections
Oklahoma has a “closed primary” system. If you register to
vote in a political party, you may vote only for that party’s candidates
in party primary elections.
If you do not register for a political party (by choosing the “No
Party” option on the Oklahoma Voter Registration Application form),
you may not vote in party primaries without party permission.
Voting Devices
Every county in Oklahoma uses electronic, optical-scanning vote counting
devices at the precinct polling place. Voters mark the ballot by filling
in the arrow beside the candidate’s name. The voting device reads
and counts the ballot when it is inserted in the voting device.
The voting device detects some common mistakes voters make when marking
their ballots. For example, if a voter marks arrows for more than one
candidate in the same race, the voting device “sees” this
error and returns the ballot to the voter. The voting device also prints
a message that explains why the ballot was returned. The voter then
can get a new ballot to mark again correctly so that all his or her
votes count.
Exit Polls
People who conduct exit polls sometimes approach voters as they leave
the polling place. Exit polls are unofficial surveys of voters usually
conducted by news media. Election officials do not conduct exit polls.
People who conduct exit polls within 300 feet of the ballot box must
display identification. Participation in exit polls is voluntary.
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