This week, 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.”
Oklahoma ensures only eligible voters participate in elections in part by following voter list maintenance procedures provided in state law. Since January 1, 2021, Oklahoma election officials have removed 97,065 deceased voters, 143,682 voters who moved out-of-state, 5,607 felons, 14,993 duplicate registrations, and 194,962 inactive voters who were canceled during the address verification process.
“Through close collaboration with the Governor’s Office, the State Election Board, and our colleagues in the Legislature, Oklahoma has fortified our electoral process,” said Secretary of State Josh Cockroft. “We’ve aggressively pursued policies to ensure voting is secure and accurate, and we’re innovating to protect our elections from emerging technology like AI. In Oklahoma, every eligible citizen will have their vote counted and their voice heard.”
In November 2023, Governor Stitt formed the Campaign Finance and Election Threats Task Force to rigorously assess the electoral process, scrutinize foreign investment in campaigns, and ensure Oklahoma elections are the safest in the nation. The task force made recommendations, some of which have been adopted into law and procedure, such as banning ranked choice voting and mandating post-election audits. Citing numerous successful audits, the task force concluded that Oklahoma’s electoral process is one of the strongest in the nation.
“Oklahoma has a long tradition of doing elections right,” said Secretary of the State Election Board Paul Ziriax. “Recounts and post-election audits have consistently proven the accuracy of Oklahoma’s voting system, and our laws and procedures are designed to ensure the integrity and security of our elections.”
— Oklahoma Election Fast Facts Oklahoma continues the tradition of using hand-marked paper ballots which are counted by an e-scan tabulator.
The e-scan vote tabulators do not have the capability to connect to the internet.
Election officials work closely with Oklahoma Cyber Command to protect our election system from wouldbe attackers.
During a recount or post-election audit, election results are confirmed by hand-counting paper ballots.
The State and County Election Boards are bipartisan.
In 2020, Governor Stitt signed SB 1779 to outlaw the practice of “ballot harvesting” and create new criminal penalties for violators.
Oklahoma voter ID laws require proof of identity for every voter, regardless of whether you’re voting early, absentee, or in-person.
Only United States citizens who are residents of Oklahoma may register to vote and state law explicitly prohibits noncitizens from accessing voter registration services. Poll watchers are commissioned by a candidate or the chair of a recognized political party to observe voting devices before and after the polls close.
Polling places across Oklahoma are staffed by volunteers and voters just like you.
The deadline to register to vote in the November election is October 11, 2024.
