State Election Board offers tips ahead of Tuesday’s runoff election

Oklahoma voters head to the polls Tuesday for the Aug. 25 runoff primary election and state question elections, and the State Election Board is offering voters some reminders ahead of time.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day. Lines tend to run longest before work, during the lunch hour and after work, but any voter in line by 7 p.m. will be permitted to vote.

Oklahoma has modified, closed primaries, meaning voters must be registered with a party to participate in that party’s runoff primary. All registered voters, regardless of party affiliation, may vote in the state question elections on the ballot, and some voters may also have local elections to decide.

Voters are asked to verify their polling place ahead of time using the OK Voter Portal or by contacting their county election board, since ballots must be cast at a voter’s assigned location. The portal can also be used to view a sample ballot, find a polling place and track an absentee ballot’s status.

Oklahoma law requires voters to show proof of identity before receiving a ballot. That can be a valid photo ID issued by a federal, state or tribal government; the free voter identification card issued by the county election board; or a signed affidavit paired with a provisional ballot, which is counted after Election Day if the information matches voter registration records.

Voters who are blind, visually disabled, physically disabled or infirmed, or illiterate may request assistance or vote independently using the ATI device attached to the voting machine. Those needing assistance should talk to their precinct official or contact their county election board.

Voter history — a record of whether someone participated in an election, not how they voted — is entered manually into the OK Voter Portal after the election and can take several weeks to appear.

Election results will be posted to the State Election Board website after polls close at 7 p.m.

The board is asking voters to be wary of misinformation about the election. Anyone who experiences an issue or believes an election or voting crime has occurred should notify precinct officials and contact their county election board while the incident is in progress.