State of Oklahoma Elections and Voting

Election Day is November 8

• October 14                  Deadline to register to vote
• October 24                  Deadline to request absentee ballot
• November 2-5             Early voting days
• November 7                Deadline to hand-deliver absentee ballots
• November 8                Deadline for election authority to receive mailed-in absentee ballots
• November 8                Election day

To register to vote in Oklahoma, you must:

• Be a United States citizen
• Be a resident of Oklahoma
• Be at least 18 years old
• Not be currently serving a sentence for a felony
• Not be judged incapacitated by a court

*A person convicted of a felony may register to vote when he or she has fully served his or her sentence of court-mandated calendar days, including any term of incarceration, parole or supervision, or completed a period of probation ordered by any court.

How to register to vote:

You must fill out a Voter Registration Application. You can fill out a Voter Registration Application using the OK Voter Portal “wizard.” (Be sure to print, sign, and mail or hand-deliver the application to your County Election Board to complete the process.) Voter registration applications are also available at your County Election Board, most tag agencies, post offices, and libraries and can be downloaded from the State Election Board website.

Voter ID Requirements

• Photo Identification: A document used for proof of identity for voting must have been issued by the United States government, the State of Oklahoma, or a federally recognized tribal government and must contain the following information:
  • The name of the person to whom it was issued
  • A photograph of the person to whom it was issued
  • An expiration date that is after the date of the election, unless the identification is valid indefinitely
  • *The law requires the voter’s name on the proof of identity document to “substantially conform” to the voter’s name in the Precinct Registry.  In other words, your name on your proof of identity must match your name in the Precinct Registry.
• County election board voter identification card: voters may use the free voter identification card they received by mail from the County Election Board when they registered to vote.  The law allows use of the voter identification card even though it does not include a photograph.
• Affidavit with provisional ballot: If you do not show proof of identity, you may vote only by provisional ballot. Voters who cast provisional ballots are required to fill out and sign an affidavit that explains why their provisional ballot should be counted. Provisional ballots are sealed inside special envelopes and are not put through the voting device. After election day, County Election Board officials will investigate the information provided by the voter on the affidavit and either will approve the provisional ballot for counting or will reject it based on the outcome of that investigation. In order for a provisional ballot to be approved for counting, the information on the affidavit must match the information in the voter’s registration record.

Absentee Voting

• Any registered voter in Oklahoma may vote by absentee ballot. It is not necessary to give a reason, although some voters may qualify for special conditions.
• State law requires voters to provide an identification number that matches the identification number on their voter registration record. To apply for an absentee ballot, you must supply at least one of the following: an Oklahoma driver’s license number, State ID number, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. If you do not know which number you used for your voter registration, it is recommended that you provide more than one valid identification number on your Absentee Ballot Application.
• “Standard” absentee ballots (the most common type of absentee ballot) must be notarized. “Physically incapacitated” absentee ballots must have the voter’s signature witnessed by two people. The law considers the notarization or witnessing sufficient to establish the identity of an absentee voter.

Resources

• Guide for Voter Registration Drives in Oklahoma
• NARF Native Voter State Guide for Oklahoma
• Native American Voting Rights (NAVRA)
• A Tribal Leaders Guide to Prepare for the Next Election
• Addressing: A Guide for Tribes
• Native Language Speakers Have Voting Rights!
• Examples of Voter Discrimination and Suppression in Indian Country
• Native Americans Depend on Ballot Collection