State election board offers tips ahead of Presidential primaries

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - Oklahoma voters are set to head to the polls Tuesday for the Presidential Preferential Primary and several nonpartisan elections. The State Election Board offers these tips and reminders to Oklahoma voters ahead of the March 5 Election.

ELECTION DAY VOTING
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day. Lines at the polls are typically longest before work, during the lunch hour, and after work. All eligible voters in line by 7 p.m. will be permitted to vote.

CLOSED PRIMARIES
There are three presidential primaries taking place in Oklahoma on March 5 – Republican, Democratic, and Libertarian.

Voter are reminded that Oklahoma has closed primaries. However, for the 2024-2025 election years, the Democratic Party has opened its primaries to registered Independents. The Republican and Libertarian parties have chosen to keep their primaries closed. Independent voters wishing to vote a Democratic ballot should let the poll worker know when they check in at their polling place.

As a reminder, there are local elections on the ballot in some precincts. You do not need to participate in a primary election to vote a nonpartisan ballot.  

VERIFY POLLING PLACE
All voters should verify their polling place before heading to the polls. Voters can verify their polling place using the OK Voter Portal or by contacting their County Election Board or the State Election Board. The State Election Board reminds voters that you must vote at your assigned polling place.

BE PREPARED
Study the candidates and issues before going to the polls. View your sample ballot using the OK Voter Portal. You can also use the portal to find your polling place and track the status of your absentee ballot. The election list is available on the State Election Board website.

PROOF OF IDENTITY
Oklahoma law requires every voter who votes in person to show proof of identity before receiving a ballot.

There are three ways to show proof of identity under the law (only one proof of identity is required):

1. Show a valid photo ID issued by the federal, state, or tribal government; or
2. Show the free voter identification card issued to every voter by their County Election Board; or
3. Sign an affidavit and vote a provisional ballot. (If the information on the affidavit matches official voter registration records, the ballot will be counted after Election Day.)

ACCESSIBILITY
Some voters may need assistance to vote because they are blind or visually disabled, physically disabled or infirmed, or illiterate.  Such individuals may request to have an assistant or vote privately and independently using the ATI device attached to the voting device. Those who require assistance should talk to their precinct official or contact their County Election Board directly for instructions.

BALLOT STATUS
It is common for voters to ask, “How do I know my voted counted?” Information regarding ballot status can be found on the State Election Board website, along with details regarding Oklahoma’s voting devices and security procedures.

Voter history is manually entered into the OK Voter Portal following the election and may take several weeks to be recorded.

ELECTION RESULTS
Election results will be available on the State Election Board website after the polls close at 7 p.m. on election night. The State Election Board recommends setting results on “auto-refresh.”

BEWARE OF MISINFORMATION/DISINFORMATION
During election time, misinformation and disinformation can run rampant. Voters are asked to be wary of information that seeks to promote false claims of fraud, voter suppression and/or other problems. However, if you experience an issue or believe an election or voting crime has been committed, your first action should be to notify your precinct officials and contact your County Election Board while the incident is in progress. County Election Board officials will take immediate action to resolve the issue and/or contact local law enforcement.

State and county election officials should always be your trusted sources for information.

URL Guide
Closed Primaries:  https://oklahoma.gov/elections/voter-registration/political-party-info.html
OK Voter Portal:  https://oklahoma.gov/elections/ovp.html
County Election Board: https://oklahoma.gov/elections/about-us/county-election-boards.html
State Election Board: https://oklahoma.gov/elections/about-us/contact-us.html
Election List: https://oklahoma.gov/elections/elections-results/next-election.html
Ballot Status: https://oklahoma.gov/elections/voters/ballot-status.html
Voting Devices: https://oklahoma.gov/elections/security-integrity/voting-devices.html
Security Procedures: https://oklahoma.gov/elections/security-integrity/election-security.html
Proof of Identity: https://oklahoma.gov/elections/voters/proof-of-identity.html
Election Results: https://oklahoma.gov/elections.html