For the next six weeks, the Tulsa County Courthouse will undergo an asbestos abatement on nights and weekends that could impact temperatures on certain floors during opening hours.
A news release from Tulsa County states the project will affect all wings on the first floor of the courthouse starting this weekend.
The first floor is home to a district attorney's supervision office, as well as a meeting space for the board of commissioners and courtrooms for arraignments, misdemeanor cases and domestic matters.
Though the abatement — or removal — will be done at night and on weekends, there will be a scaffold installation inside a sealed tarp in hallways that will remain in place during businesses hours "so the project can be completed faster."
The county said citizens and staff "can be assured that they will not be exposed to the abatement work or asbestos at any time."
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"As the workers move through the area, the HVAC will be turned off in quadrants for several days at a time," Tulsa County spokesman Devin Egan said. "The public and Tulsa County staff may notice certain floors being warmer or stuffier than usual during these time periods."
Asbestos is a heat-resistant mineral fiber once commonly used as insulation and in making fire-resistant items, according to the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality.
The DEQ's website states breathing in the fibers can cause the development of diseases like asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.
The Tulsa County Courthouse had to close its basement and postpone jury duty for weeks after the basement flooded in September 2014, requiring an air quality test for the building, according to Tulsa World archives.
The World also previously reported the courthouse underwent a partial asbestos abatement in 2002 while crews removed jail cells from the eighth floor. The floor today consists of offices for misdemeanor prosecutors and the Victim Witness Center.
The county more recently spent about $15 million through 2018 to move staff members' offices from the courthouse to the nearby former Community Care building, 218 W. Sixth Street, to help give workers more space.
Egan said Wednesday that the DEQ approved the design of the Tulsa County Courthouse project and that asbestos handlers will have a building hygenist available to monitor the project and air quality in the area.
An outside firm will monitor air in the courthouse before, during and after the project concludes, he said.
Meanwhile, masks are still required while visiting the courthouse amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, though the county in May acknowledged the design of the building is "ill-suited" for following social distancing protocols.
"The public is asked to be aware of their surroundings in the courthouse and to move around the taped areas to conduct their normal business," Egan said.
The county did not say Wednesday what the estimated costs of the cleanup are. But the county's Five Year Capital Improvement Programs handbook indicates a request for a combined $2,500,000 specifically for asbestos abatement at the courthouse from fiscal years 2018 to 2022.
The handbook identified asbestos abatement as a major priority and said removal would reduce the risk of exposure and asbestos-related claims.
Early voting will be at ONEOK Field, says Tulsa County Election Board secretary
Secretary Gwen Freeman said Sept. 28 that the downtown Tulsa ballpark will allow for ample parking, social distancing, and an open air space
Voter guide 2020: What Oklahomans need to know for the Nov. 3 election
Voter guide 2020: Polls now open on Election Day
Proof of identity
Proof of identity for in-person voting
- Voter registration card from county election board
- State-issued driver’s license, photo ID or Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority patient card (unexpired)
- Federal- or tribe-issued photo IDs including passports or military ID
Observing
Can people observe voters casting ballots?
"It is crime for any unauthorized person to remain within 50 feet of a ballot box while an election is in progress,” an Oklahoma State Election Board spokesperson said. Doing so is a misdemeanor offense, according to Oklahoma statute.
Sample ballot
What will my ballot look like?
By far the easiest place to find a sample ballot and most information about your registration status is at the Oklahoma State Election Board’s online voter portal: https://okvoterportal.okelections.us/.
Sample ballot Tulsa November 2020
Here's a sample ballot for midtown Tulsa
Safety
Are COVID-19 precautions being taken?
Yes. Poll workers across the state will be wearing face masks and other protective gear. Voting booths will be sanitized regularly, and pens used for marking ballots will be single use only.
Wearing masks is strongly encouraged. Poll workers will enforce social distancing.
Do all precincts have power?
In addition to the effects of COVID-19, some parts of the state, including the Oklahoma City metro, remain without electrical power after last week’s ice storm. OG&E has promised to supply generators to polling places without electricity.
"The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Oklahoma State Election Board and OG&E report that all polling locations have power for today’s election," officials said in an email early Tuesday. "There are a limited number of polling locations using generator power and OG&E and ODEMHS have back-up generators available if an additional outage occurs today."
Traffic drives around fallen branch on 15th St. east of Boulevard from the ice storm that hit the Oklahoma City metro area Tuesday, October 27, 2020.
Ballots at USPS
More absentee ballot guidance
Absentee ballots must be at the county election board by 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted, which means you're out of time if you planned to mail it in or drop it off. You may vote today in person; a poll worker's paperwork will indicate an absentee ballot had been requested; voters must sign documentation they are not casting two ballots.
The Tulsa County Election Board has been keeping up with the roughly 2,500 absentee ballots received daily by convening almost every day for more than a month. Today Election Board staff will make at least four trips to the post office to pick up absentee ballots, including a final visit just before the polls close at 7 p.m.
As of 5 p.m. Monday, 73,357 ballots were processed, including 60,029 absentee ballots and 13,328 in-person early ballots. There are 374,821 Tulsa County residents registered to vote in Tuesday’s election, according to the Election Board.
Voter Portal online
When will we know results?
Oklahoma State Election Board public information officer Misha Mohr said the agency is confident Oklahomans will know the results Tuesday evening.
“While results may take longer than usual due to this year’s unique circumstances, Oklahomans can expect unofficial results — as they have come to expect — on election ‘night,’” Mohr said. “Election officials intend to work until results have been reported.”
Negating absentee ballot
I asked for an absentee ballot but didn’t use it. May I still vote?
Yes. A person who requests an absentee ballot but does not submit it may vote in person at their usual polling place. Doing both knowingly, however, is a felony.
Absentee ballots may also be hand-delivered to your county election board, but they must be received by the close of business the day before the election.
Only the person who applied for the ballot may deliver it.
Long lines?
Are long lines at polling locations expected?
Possibly. Pictured is the line early Tuesday outside All Souls Unitarian Church. The combination of COVID-19 precautions and the inexperience of many poll workers could slow down the voting process.
Other states have seen voting delays because of COVID-19, but with wide variations. Many of the delays have been because a shortage of workers resulted in fewer polling locations.
Oklahoma has not reduced its number of polling locations.
State Question 814
State Question 814 seeks to reduce the amount of money the state gets from a 1998 multistate legal settlement with tobacco companies to cover Medicaid expenses and allow the state to draw down additional federal dollars to pay for Medicaid expansion.
Related: Critics of SQ 814 explain pitfalls of funding change
State Question 805
Kris Steele speaks with supporters during a rally for Yes on SQ 805 in Oklahoma City in February. State Question 805, which seeks to end the use of sentence enhancements for repeat nonviolent offenders, will be voted on Nov. 3.
Related: Supporters of State Question 805 slam foes' 'fear-mongering' of reform petition
U.S. Senate race
U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe is being challenged this election by Democrat Abby Broyles to represent Oklahoma, along with Sen. James Lankford, in Washington, D.C.
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Congressional District 1
Republican incumbent Kevin Hern, right, and Democratic challenger Kojo Asamoa-Caesar are in the race for Oklahoma's 1st Congressional District.
Congressional districts 2, 3 and 4
Tulsa-area congressmen Frank Lucas, left, and Markwayne Mullin, right, are against underfunded opponents in far-flung districts. They, along with fellow Republican Tom Cole in the 4th District, center, are heavy favorites to keep their jobs.
Senate District 37
Political newcomer Republican Cody Rogers hopes to unseat state Sen. Allison Ikley-Freeman in the race for Senate District 37. Click here to read more.
House Districts 71, 78
Two Democratic incumbents are trying to hold their seats in the heart of Tulsa this election season. Rep. Denise Brewer (left), whose House District 71 runs along the east side of the Arkansas River from 21st Street to 81st Street, and Rep. Meloyde Blancett, whose pistol-shaped HD 78 extends from Maple Ridge to east Tulsa, are up for re-election in districts that have been trending Democratic for years.
House Districts 66, 68 and 29
State House District 66 Republican incumbent Jadine Nollan (left) is one of three Republican incumbents representing western Tulsa County. Rep. Lonnie Sims in HD 68, which includes west Tulsa and west Jenks, and Rep. Kyle Hilbert in HD 29, whose mostly Creek County district includes Tulsa County’s western-most precincts, don’t seem to have many constituents after their jobs, but Democratic opponents are making the trio work for re-election.
Judge retention
Oklahoma voters will decide whether three of the nine current Oklahoma Supreme Court justices will retain their jobs.
Early voting
Despite record-setting figures for Oklahoma early voting as a state, Tulsa County's early-voting total was eclipsed by the 2016 count, when two sites were made available.
In Tulsa County, the three-day total for 2020 was 13,328.
About 18,000 early in-person votes were cast in 2016, when Hardesty Library in south Tulsa was offered up as a polling place in addition to the Election Board downtown.
A record 164,000 Oklahomans cast in-person ballots for early voting, according to the State Election Board, compared to 2016 when 153,000 early votes were cast.
