Voting In Oklahoma

To be eligible to vote in Oklahoma you must be:

• At least 18 years old
• A U.S. citizen
• A resident of Oklahoma
• Not convicted of a felony, or if you have been convicted, a period of time equal to the original judgment and sentence has expired
• Not adjudged to be an incapacitated person prohibited from voting

When you register to vote you will need to provide your identification with your application. You can provide a copy of one of the following documents:

• A current driver’s license or the last four digits of your social security number

You must sign and date the oath printed on the form. When you sign the voter registration application you swear you are eligible to vote.

First-time voters who register by mail and do not provide verification with application must show identification at the polls. You may choose to submit a copy of one or more of the following forms of identification with your voter registration application but are not required to do so:

• A current driver license or other photo identification
• A utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document that shows your name and address

You may submit your voter registration application form at any time. However, voter identification cards cannot be issued during the 24 days prior to an election. A valid application must therefore be postmarked or delivered to either a motor license agency or designated voter registration agency more than 24 days prior to an election in order for you to participate in the election.

To verify your voter registration status, please contact your board of elections.

Any registered voter in Oklahoma may vote by absentee ballot. It is not necessary to give a reason for voting absentee. Applications for absentee ballots must be made in writing. The deadline to apply for an absentee ballot to be mailed to you is always 5:00 pm on Wednesday preceding the election (Janurary 31, 2008 for the primary election.) Absentee ballot application forms are available from all county election boards and from the state election board. However, you are not required to use the form. You may write a letter to your county election board to apply for absentee ballots or find it here. The letter must contain the following information:

• Your name
• Your birth date
• The address at which you are registered to vote
• The election(s) for which you are requesting ballot(s)
• The address where ballot(s) should be mailed
• Your signature

You may apply for absentee ballots for one election, for several elections or for all elections in which you are eligible to vote during the calendar year in which the application is submitted. You may mail your absentee ballot application to the county election board, fax it, send it via telegram or deliver it personally to the county election board office. However, you may not deliver an application for another person. If your absentee ballot is mailed to you, you must return it to the county election board by mail. An absentee ballot must be received by the county election board before 7:00 pm on Election Day to be counted. You may cast an absentee ballot in person at the county election board office from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm on the Friday and Monday before all elections. For state and federal elections only, in-person absentee voting also is available from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm on Saturday. In-person absentee voters must fill out and sign an application form when they arrive to vote.
Although you can vote an absentee ballot without giving a reason, the law still contains "excuses" for voting absentee. Some voters benefit by using one of those excuses when they apply for absentee ballots. These excuses activate special conditions that make absentee voting even easier.

• If you are physically incapacitated or care for physically incapacitated persons who cannot be left alone, you may vote by absentee ballot. In this case, you may submit your applications only by mail, fax, or telegraph. You are not required to have your signature on the absentee affidavit notarized. You are, however, required to have your signature witnessed by two people.
• If you are in a nursing home in the same county where you are registered, you may vote absentee. You may submit your application only by mail, fax, or telegraph. An absentee voting board will come to your nursing home a few days before the election to allow you to cast your ballot.

If you become incapacitated after 5:00 pm on the Tuesday preceding an election, you may receive an absentee ballot through special emergency procedures. You must make a written request to the county election board. The request must be accompanied by a statement from a doctor stating you are incapacitated and will be unable to vote in person on Election Day. Your request and the doctor's statement must be taken to the county election board office by the person you choose. This person becomes your "agent."
The county election board can provide a form to be used for both your request and the doctor's statement. The agent will receive your ballot and will deliver it to you. After you mark the ballot, the agent must return it to the county election board office before 7:00 pm on Election Day.

Overseas citizens and U.S. military personnel can find information on how to register to vote and request an absentee ballot at the Overseas Vote Foundation.

In-person absentee voting is available and no excuse is required. You may cast an absentee ballot in person at the county election board office from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm on the Friday and Monday before all elections. For state and federal elections only, in-person absentee voting is also available from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm on Saturday. In-person absentee voters must fill out and sign an application form when they arrive to vote.

Future election dates are to be determined. Please check with your local board of elections office for information on local elections.

In order to be a poll worker in Oklahoma:

• You must be registered to vote in Oklahoma
• You will be entitled to compensation
• You must be at least 18 years of age
• Political affiliation required
• You must be a resident of the county for the 25 days prior to the election
• You must complete required training every two years

To sign up, contact your local board of elections.

Polls will be open from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.

Employers must grant employees up to two hours of paid leave to vote on Election Day, within polling place hours.

You can find your polling place by utilizing VOTE411's poll locator tool. Some states and local jurisdictions provide their own poll locators. You can confirm your voting location by selecting from the following local resources: Oklahoma State Poll Locator Tool,

Provisional ballots are eligible for verification if cast in correct precinct.

The voting system used in Oklahoma is optical scan.

Optical Scan: With this system, you will receive a card or sheet of paper, which you take over to a private table or booth. The card has the names of the various candidates and ballot measures printed on it. With a pen or pencil you fill in a little box or circle or the space between two arrows. When you are finished filling out all the cards, you may bring the cards over to a ballot box, where poll workers will show you how to put the cards in the box. Or in some places, you may feed the completed cards or papers into a computer device that checks your card or paper right there at the polling place to make sure you have voted the way you want to and counts the votes.

Information on local, state and federal candidates and ballot measures is available here.

If you have a disability you may ask for assistance from poll workers at your polling place. If you cannot enter the polling place because of physical disabilities, need help marking your ballot because of physical disabilities, have visual disabilities, or cannot read, you may be assisted by a person of your own choosing. In all these cases, the person who provides assistance to you must swear or affirm that your ballots will be marked in accordance with your wishes. If you are unable to vote inside the polling place, two precint officials will help you to vote outside the polling place.

You may also choose to vote independently by telephone. Telephone voting is available upon request at your polling place on Election Day. Please contact your county election boards to verify this device is located at your polling place. It should also be available at the county election board office during early voting. An election official dials into the telephone voting system and selects the correct ballot from a menu of options. You will then listen to the ballot over the telephone and make selections using the telephone keypad. You may review and, if necessary, change any selection and may hear all choices read back before finally casting the ballot.

For information on federal campaign contributions, please visit Open Secrets.

For information on state campaign contributions, please visit your state's resource.