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Friday, June 3rd is the last day for Oklahomans to register to vote in the state primaries on June 28th.
It is also the last day current voters are able to change their address information.
The Black Wall Street Times breaks down everything you need to know about registering to vote in Oklahoma and exercising your Constitutional right.
Oklahoma’s closed primary system
Oklahoma has a “closed primary” system.
This means that a person’s party ID determines what primary they can vote in. In other words:
- Registered Republicans can only vote in the Republican Primary.
- Individuals registered as Democrats or Independent/No Party can only vote in the Democratic primary.
- People registered as Libertarians can only vote in the Libertarian primary.
Under Oklahoma law, currently registered voters cannot change their party affiliation between April 1 and August 31.
Who can register to vote?
In Oklahoma, anyone who is a US citizen, a resident of the state and who will be 18 or older by Election Day can register to vote. Oklahomans who are 17 1/2 can “pre-register” to vote, but will not be able to cast a ballot until they turn eighteen.
The only excepts are for persons judged to be incapacitated by a court, or people convicted of a felony who haven’t served their full sentence yet.
Registering to vote in Oklahoma with a Felony conviction
For years, the process of individuals convicted of a felony having their voting rights restored was confusing. Many individuals were unsure if they could register to vote, while others were worried about legal issues if they registered too early. State Representative Regina Goodwin worked hard to have the legislature clarify this process for Oklahomans with felony convictions.
In Oklahoma, anyone convicted of a felony can register to vote after their sentence is complete. This includes any period of incarceration, probation and parole.
Additionally, anyone convicted of a felony who has received a pardon can also register.
The ACLU of Oklahoma created this breakdown to help answer questions.
Registering for the first time, changing your information or checking your registration
Even though the state passed legislation to create an online registration process nearly a decade ago, that process is still not fully up and running.
Anyone who wishes to register to vote for the first time will need to complete a paper registration form. Once the form is complete, simply mail or hand deliver it to the county election board by the deadline.
New registration forms are also available at tag agencies across the state. New voters can simply complete their voter registration at tag agencies and hand it in at the tag agency itself.
Anyone wishing to change their address on their voter registration can do so online.
Once a voter registration form is complete, a new Voter ID card is mailed out within a few weeks. Registered voters can always check their polling location, sample ballot and more online at the Oklahoma Voter Portal.
You only need to register once in order to cast your ballot in every election. It’s only necessary to re-register/update your registration if you move or wish to change your party affiliation.
A full list of information regarding the voter registration process can be found on the state’s website.
What’s on the ballot in the June 28th Oklahoma primary election in 2022?
The June 28th Oklahoma primary election will allow voters to select their nominees for county, state and federal offices ahead of the November 2022 midterm election.
This year, voters will select nominees for Governor, State Superintendent, Attorney General and more. Voters will also cast their ballot for nominees for the US Senate and the US House of Representatives.
Some voters may even have local races on the ballot, including for county offices and local judicial seats.
Primary elections play a significant role in determining who has the chance to hold office and represent Oklahomans in November elections. For each of these June primaries, candidates must win a majority of the vote to become their party’s nominee.
However, if no candidate in a particular race gets over 50% of the vote, a runoff election between the top two candidates takes place in late August.