Voting in
Oklahoma

Upcoming Election Dates & Deadlines

Upcoming Election: Primary Election

Election Day: November 5, 2024

Registration Deadline: October 11, 2024

Vote By Mail: yes

Vote By Mail Deadline: October 11, 2024

Early Voting: October 30 - 2, 2024

How to vote in Oklahoma

Oklahoma's election schedule

Oklahoma's Election Overview

Oklahomans can register to vote by mail or in person. Voting can be done in person or by absentee ballot. Bring a photo ID when you vote in person.

Important Voting Links for Oklahoma

How to vote in Oklahoma

Absentee Ballot Process

Absentee voting is available and no excuse is required. The last day to request an absentee ballot is the third Monday (15 days) prior to an election. You can return your absentee ballot request form through mail, in person at your local elections office, or online. Voted ballots must be received by 7pm on Election Day in order to be counted. You can sign up to track your absentee ballot on your State Election Board website. Absentee ballots begin being counted on Election Day. Those who requested an absentee ballot but end up voting in person: Voters must surrender their absentee ballots before receiving a regular ballot, otherwise they must vote by a provisional ballot. Do not mail a ballot and vote in person. For specifics, you can find your local county clerk contact info here. Any registered voter in Oklahoma may request an absentee ballot with no excuse. If you prefer to request an absentee ballot by mail, you may write a letter to your county election board. The letter must contain the following information:

Your name
Your birth date
Your address
Identification number that matches the identification number on your voter registration record
The election(s) for which you are requesting ballot(s)
The address where ballot(s) should be mailed
Your signature

You may apply for absentee ballots for one election, for several elections, or for all elections during the calendar year in which the application is submitted. An absentee ballot must be received by the county election board before 7:00 pm on Election Day to be counted. If you prefer, you may vote absentee in person at the county election board office from 8am-6pm on the Thursday and Friday before all elections. If the election is a state or a federal election, in person absentee voting is available from 8am-2pm on the Saturday before the election. If you become incapacitated after 5:00 pm on the third Monday (15 days) before an election, you may receive an absentee ballot through special emergency procedures. You must make a written request to the county election board. The request must be accompanied by a statement from a doctor saying you are incapacitated and will be unable to vote in person on Election Day. Your request and the doctor’s statement must be taken to the county election board office by the person you choose. This person becomes your agent. The county election board can provide a form to be used for both your request and the doctor’s statement. The agent will receive your ballot and will deliver it to you. After you mark the ballot, the agent must return it to the county election board office before 7:00 pm on Election Day. Overseas citizens and U.S. military personnel can find information on how to register to vote and request an absentee ballot at the Overseas Vote Foundation. Request your Ballot

Drop Boxes

No drop boxes are available. In most cases, voters return their voted absentee ballots to the county election board by U.S. mail or by a private mail service that has delivery documentation. Voters who requested a “standard” absentee ballot (Yellow Affidavit), which is the most common type of absentee ballot, may hand-deliver their own absentee ballot in-person to the county election board during regular business hours.

Voters must deliver their own absentee ballot
Proof of Identity is required when the voter drops off their ballot AND the ballot must be notarized.
“Standard” absentee ballots that are hand delivered to the County Election Board may be delivered during regular business hours and MUST be received no later than the day before the election.

Early Voting

In-person absentee voting (no-excuse early voting) will be available at your designated early voting location on the Thursday and Friday before Election Day from 8am to 6pm. Suppose it is a state or federal Primary Election, Runoff Primary Election, General Election, or Presidential Preferential Primary Election. In that case, in-person absentee voting will also be available on the Saturday (9am to 2pm) before the election. Note: Early voting is also available from 8 am to 6 pm the Wednesday before the General Election. For more information, please visit your state’s resource.

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to vote you must be:

At least 18 years old
A U.S. citizen
A resident of Oklahoma
Not convicted of a felony, or if you have been convicted, a period of time equal to the original judgment and sentence has expired*
Not adjudged to be an incapacitated person prohibited from voting

You pay preregister to vote if you are at least 17 and a half years old, however, you cannot vote in an election until after your 18th birthday. Note: In Oklahoma, a person convicted of a felony may register to vote when they have fully served their sentence of court-mandated calendar days, including any term of incarceration, parole or supervision, or completed a period of probation ordered by any court. A person who was convicted of a felony and has been pardoned may register. For more information, please visit your state’s resource.

ID Needed for Voter Registration

When you register to vote you will need to provide your identification with your application. You can enter your state driver’s license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number on the form. You must sign and date the oath printed on the form. When you sign the voter registration application you swear you are eligible to vote.

ID Needed for Voting

You must show ID in order to vote. The type of ID you show must have the following information, and must be issued by the US Government, the State of Oklahoma or a federally recognized tribal government:

Your name (it must match your name on the poll book)
Your photo
An expiration date that is after the date of the election, unless the identification is valid indefinitely

Examples include:

An Oklahoma driver’s license
State identification card
A U.S. passport
Military identification
A voter identification card received by mail from the County Election Board when you registered to vote. The law allows use of the voter identification card even though it does not include a photograph or an expiration date.

If you do not have proof of identity, you may only vote by provisional ballot. Voters can call or text 844-338-8743 at any time to reach VoteRiders Voter ID Helpline

Overseas and Military Voting

You are a Military or Overseas voter if you are in uniformed services, living overseas OR a spouse or dependent of a uniformed services voter. To get registered and vote, you can utilize your state’s online tool. Voters that are currently registered to vote may use the Oklahoma State Election Board’s OK Voter Portal to request an absentee ballot.

Primary Election Process

Oklahoma is a “partially closed” primary state. Each party has the ability to choose whether to allow unaffiliated voters or voters not registered with their party to participate in their primary. This decision is made in November of each odd-numbered year. As of 2021, the Democratic party has allowed independents to vote in their primaries, but independents are not allowed to vote in Republican or Libertarian parties. In a primary election if a candidate does not with the majority of the votes (50%+1) there will be a primary runoff election scheduled for a few weeks after the primary election date. The runoff election will have the top two candidates with the most votes to ensure that one of them receives the majority of the voters. If you have any questions about your state’s primary election, please contact your local election officials.

Provisional Voting

If you do not show proof of identity, you may vote by provisional ballot. You must fill out and sign an affidavit that explains why the provisional ballot should be counted. After election day, County Election Board officials will investigate the information provided and will either approve the provisional ballot or will reject it. In order for the provisional ballot to be approved, the information on the affidavit must match the information in your voter registration record. Provisional ballots are counted after 5pm the Friday after Election Day.

Provisions for Voters with Disabilities

If you have a disability you may ask for assistance from poll workers at your polling place. If you cannot enter the polling place because of physical disabilities, need help marking your ballot because of physical disabilities, have visual disabilities, or cannot read, you may be assisted by a person of your own choosing. In all these cases, the person who provides assistance to you must swear or affirm that your ballots will be marked in accordance with your wishes. If you are unable to vote inside the polling place, two precint officials will help you to vote outside the polling place. In Oklahoma, every polling place is equipped with a voting device that has ATI capabilities. In other words, voters with disabilities may cast their ballot privately and independently using an audio ballot. NOTE: A new law goes into effect in 2023 that will allow visually impaired voters the opportunity to request the electronic delivery of an absentee ballot. For more information, you can utilize your state’s resource and the American Association of People With Disabilities (AAPD) resource.

Time Off To Vote

In Oklahoma, employers must allow employees who are registered to vote two hours to vote either on Election Day or during early voting; however, there are several provisions.

An employee must work at such a distance that extended time off would be necessary to vote.
The request must be made at least three days before the day the voter intends to be absent.
The employer may select the day(s) and/or hour(s) the employee may use to vote.
Time off will not be granted to employees if a three-hour voting period exists before or after the employee’s regular working hours.
Employers may alter an employee’s work schedule to accommodate voting hours.

Upon proof of voting, an employee will not be subject to any loss of compensation or other penalties for such absence. For more information, please visit your state’s resource.