NEWS RELEASE         
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:        Date Feb. 22, 2016
CONTACT:    State Election Board PIO Bryan Dean

Absentee deadline approaches, early voting scheduled for Presidential Primary Election

(Oklahoma City) – Voters have until Wednesday, Feb. 24 to request a mail absentee ballot for the March 1 Presidential Preferential Primary Election, Oklahoma State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax said.
 
Voters can apply for absentee ballots on the Oklahoma State Election Board’s website at http://elections.ok.gov. Forms can also be downloaded from the site or picked up at any of the state’s 77 county election boards.
 
Completed absentee ballots must be received by mail at county election boards by 7 p.m. on Election Day, March 1.
 
In-person absentee voting also begins this week. Those who want to vote early in person can do so Thursday, Friday or Saturday. In-person voting will be available at all 77 county election boards. Voters in Tulsa County can also vote early at Hardesty Library, 8316 E 93 in Tulsa. Cleveland County voters can vote at a second early voting location at Moore Norman Technology Center’s campus at SW 134 and Penn.
 
Early voting will be available from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday and from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
 
Republican and Democratic candidates for president will be on the ballot statewide. For the first time, Independents will be able to vote in a Democratic primary. The Democratic Party chose to open its primaries to Independent voters in 2016 and 2017. The Republican Party declined to let Independent voters participate in its primaries.
 
Voters in some counties will also have local elections on the ballot. You can view a sample ballot or check the status of your absentee ballot by using the Online Voter Tool at http://elections.ok.gov.
 

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NEWS RELEASE         
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:        Date Jan. 29, 2016
CONTACT:    State Election Board PIO Bryan Dean

Voter registration deadline for presidential primary approaches

Independents get first chance to vote in Democratic primary

(Oklahoma City) – Voters have until Friday Feb. 5 to register to vote, change their party or update other registration information before the March 1 Presidential Preferential Primary Election, Oklahoma State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax said today.
 
Voter registration forms, used to change any registration information, can be downloaded from the Oklahoma State Election Board’s website at http://elections.ok.gov. They are also available at county election boards, post offices, tag agencies, libraries and some other public locations.
 
Voters must either register in person or mail their registration forms in and have them postmarked before the deadline.
 
The election will mark the first time Independent voters get the chance to cast a ballot in a major party primary after Democrats authorized the move last year.
 
Oklahoma’s primary system is typically closed, meaning only those registered in the party can vote in the party’s elections. But the law allows recognized parties to notify the State Election Board during November of odd numbered years if they would like to let Independents vote in their primaries.
 
Democrats sent such a notification in November. That means Independents can vote in Democratic primaries and runoff primaries in 2016 and 2017. Independents cannot vote in Republican primaries.
 
Independent voters who want to vote a Democratic ballot will be able to request one at their polling location or by indicating they would like to receive Democratic ballots via mail when they make an absentee ballot request.
 
Voters can check their party affiliation, polling place and other registration information, view a sample ballot and track absentee ballots using the Online Voter Tool on the State Election Board’s website. It can be accessed at http://elections.ok.gov.