Bartlesville Voter Service Information

The League of Women Voters of the Bartlesville Area publishes a Citizen's Guide every two years.  This publication costs the League quite a lot to print, but they are distributed free to any who would ask.  An example can be found under Publication.  Another service the League provides for members of the community are Candidate Information Sheets.  They are included in the Examiner Enterprise a Sunday or two before the election.  These are also a huge expense to the League and we are going to have to cut back from two issues in an election year to one unless education fund contributions increase greatly and steadily.

          

The Oklahoma  POLITICAL CALENDAR

NATIONAL AND STATEWIDE ELECTIONS are held every four years, each in different even-numbered years.  The next National elections will be in the year 2008.

Filing period is 3rd Monday in June through next succeeding Wednesday in even numbered years.              

Primary is                     Last Tuesday, July

Run-Off Primary is        4th Tuesday, August

General Election is       1st Tuesday after the                                                  

                                     1st Monday, November

Presidential Primary is 1st Tuesday, February

 CITY ELECTIONS are held in odd-numbered years.  There are no primaries.  Candidates file as independents.

Filing Period is     8 a.m.1st Monday in February to

                             5 p.m. the following Wednesday    

General is            1st Tuesday in April

 SCHOOL BOARD ELECTIONS are held annually.

Filing Period is      8 a.m. 1st Monday, December to

                              5 p.m. the following Wednesday

Election is             2nd Tuesday, February

When there is a Presidential primary election the school board election shall be on that date in Feb.

Run-off is               1^st Tuesday, April

 VOTER INFORMATION

 QUALIFICATIONS:  State Statutes provide that qualified electors be citizens of the United States and of the state, 18 years of age or older and registered with the County Election Board.  A person who has been convicted of a felony may not register until a period of time equal to the original judgment and sentence has expired.  A person who has been adjudged incapacitated and prohibited from voting may not register. 

 An individual who will become eligible to register on or before an election day but after the registration deadline may register during the last 60 days before the registration deadline. 

 Oklahomans in the military or living overseas and the spouses and dependents of both groups may vote absentee without being registered if they qualify to register.  See "Absentee Voting". 

 REGISTRATION:  Qualified electors may apply for registration at the County Election Board Office from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (including the noon hour) Monday through Friday.  Registration applications may also be obtained from all post offices, public libraries, and tag agencies. 

 A voter registration application form may also be downloaded from the State Election Board’s website: www.elections.state.ok.us.

 After filling out and signing the voter registration form, mail it to the Election Board.  Applications must be received by the Election Board 24 days prior to an election in order to be eligible to vote in any election. 

 Voter registration is permanent unless the voter later fails to meet the requirements for a qualified elector, moves out of the county and registers in another county, or asks the county election board to cancel the registration.

 CHANGING REGISTRATION:  For purposes of voter registration a voter may change his/her address, name or political affiliation by obtaining an application at the County Election Board or any of the other agencies listed above. 

 Application to change a registered voter's address, name or political affiliation for voting purposes shall become effective when the application is approved by the Secretary of the County Election Board at the voter's county of residence and a voter identification card is issued.  If a registered voter does not receive an acknowledgement of his/her application for change in voter registration information within 30 days of submitting it, the applicant is responsible for contacting the County Election Board in his/her county of residence to determine the status of the application. 

 Applications that are received by mail with postmarks 24 days or less prior to an election and that are determined to be valid will be activated immediately after the election. 

 A registered voter who has changed his/her residence within the county but who has not yet changed his/her voter registration shall be entitled to vote at the polling place in the precinct serving the former address.  Such a voter shall also be entitled to make application to change his/her voter registration while at the polling place by completing an Oklahoma Voter Registration Application form and submitting the completed form to the Precinct Inspector for return to the County Election Board.

 CHANGE OF POLITICAL AFFILIATION: 

A registered voter may apply to change his or her political affiliation at any time during an odd-numbered year.  A registered voter may also apply to change his or her political affiliation at any time during an even-numbered year, except during the period between June 1 and August 31.  Applications to change political affiliation received during this period shall be held by the County Election Board and activated on or after September 1.  However, if such an application for political affiliation change also includes change of address or of name, the change of address or of name shall be approved if the application is otherwise valid.

 VOTING PLACES:  An elector must vote in the precinct in which he/she is registered.  The name of the polling place is listed on the voter identification card.  A list of voting places is also generally published in the newspaper prior to an election or can be obtained from the County Election Board Office.

 Newly registered voters may be asked for identification when voting the first time in the county.  Suitable identification includes: driver’s license or other photo ID; voter identification card; copy of a paycheck, utility bill or bank statement; a copy of a government check or other government document.  

 Rides to the polls are provided by the League of Women Voters.  Call the League number 333-7007 in advance to make arrangements. 

 ABSENTEE VOTING: Any voter can cast an  absentee ballot without giving a reason.

 Statewide Elections:  To obtain an absentee ballot for a statewide election a written request, either on an application form available at the Election Board Office in the county in which the voter is registered or in a letter addressed to the Secretary of the County Election Board, must be submitted to the Secretary at 420 South Johnstone, Room 101, Bartlesville 74003.  If a letter is used, it must include the voter's name, birth date, address at which they are registered to vote, the election or elections for which they are requesting ballots, the address to which the ballots should be mailed, and the voter's signature. 

 The voter may apply for absentee ballots for one election, for several elections or for all elections in which they are eligible to vote.  If a voter wishes to vote absentee for a full year, a new application must be submitted each calendar year except that a member of the military need apply only every two years.  The deadline for applying for an absentee ballot is always 5:00 p.m. on the Wednesday preceding an election. 

 Absentee ballots and instructions will be mailed to the voter as soon as ballots are available to the County Election Board.  Instructions must be followed carefully.  The completed ballot must be notarized and returned by mail to the County Election Board and be in the hands of the County Election Board Secretary no later than 7:00 p.m. on the day of the election. 

 Although no reason is required for absentee voting, a voter who is physically incapacitated, cares for a physically incapacitated person who cannot be left alone, is confined to a nursing home, or is in the military can activate some special conditions that make voting easier.  These voters may submit their applications only by mail, fax, or telegraph.  They are not required to have their signatures notarized on the absentee affidavits.  They are, however, required to have their signatures witnessed by two people.  Consult the Election Board.   

 A registered voter who becomes incapacitated after 5:00 p.m. on the Tuesday preceding an election may vote absentee by making a written request, accompanied by a physician's sworn statement attesting that the voter is medically incapacitated.  These documents must be taken to the County Election Board Office by a person the voter chooses, who then becomes the voter's "agent."  Forms for the request and the doctor's statement are available from the county election board but are not required to be used.  The agent will receive the voter's ballots, deliver them to the voter, and must return the marked ballots to the election board before 7:00 p.m. on election day.

 Voters may cast an absentee ballot in person at the County Election Board office between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Friday, between 8 a.m. and 1 p.m on Saturday, and Monday between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. before Federal or State elections.  Voters may cast absentee ballots in person before local elections on only Friday and Monday before such election.

 VOTER ASSISTANCE

Voter assistance is available at the polling place for voters who are:  physically disabled and unable to mark their own ballot; cannot read; blind or visually disabled; physically disabled or inform and unable to enter the polling place.

Voters who are deaf or hearing impaired can call the TDD number (405) 521-3028 provided by the State Election Board.

 ELECTIONS

 Primary:  Oklahoma has "closed primaries." which means that a voter may participate only in the nomination of the candidates for the party in which he/she is registered.  Registered Independents are not eligible to vote in party primaries.  All registered voters may vote on nonpartisan judicial offices, state questions, and county questions that may be on the ballot in the Primary Election. 

 General:  All registered voters are entitled to vote in the general election for the candidates of their choice regardless of political party affiliation.  They may also vote to approve or disapprove constitutional amendments that appear on the ballot in the General Election.

 Public Utility Bond Elections:  All registered voters living within the governmental area granting the franchise are entitled to vote in a Public Utility Bond Election.

 County Bond Election:  Voter requirements for County Bond Elections are case-specific by statute and are published in the newspaper prior to a county bond election. 

 School Board, School Bond, and Local School Support Levy Elections:  All registered voters who live within the school district may vote in a School Board, School Bond, or Levy Election.