Election Day may be less than three weeks away, but thousands of ballots a day are already pouring into the Tulsa County Election Board, officials said Thursday.
“We’re keeping up, but only by working 12 hours a day, six days a week,” said Tulsa County Election Board Secretary Gwen Freeman.
Freeman has added dozens of workers to handle the crush of absentee ballots, which by mid-morning Thursday had reached 25,500. She expects to get 100,000 or more by the time voting ends at 7 p.m. Nov. 3.
By comparison, only 15,548 mail ballots from Tulsa County were counted in the 2016 presidential election. Just over 100,000 were cast statewide.
COVID-19 and in some cases long lines to vote in person caused a nationwide push this year, especially among Democrats, to vote by mail.
People are also reading…
But, while more Oklahomans than ever are requesting mail-in ballots, many are not actually mailing them. This may be the result of concerns about ballots being lost or delayed in the mail.
Freeman said about 400 ballots a day are being hand-delivered to the Election Board offices, a pace she said is similar to a modest turnout during the three-day early in-person voting period prior to Election Day.
In Oklahoma, mail-in ballots can generally be hand-delivered only by the person to whom the ballot was sent. Mail-in ballots for the physically disabled cannot be delivered in person.
In the past, absentee ballots were usually counted on Election Day, but because of this year’s crush state election officials allowed ballot processing to begin already.
This involves day-long election board meetings in which Freeman and the two members — Republican Bob Jack and Democrat Bruce Niemi — oversee the opening, sorting and scanning of ballots.
“We get a lot of people asking who’s winning,” said Freeman, “but we don’t know.”
While the ballots are scanned, the actual vote tallies are known only to the flash drive-type devices that record the images. When not in use, those drives are kept in a safe accessible only to the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office.
Not until Election Day is the data on those drives shipped to the state election board through a virtual private network, or VPN. At no time is the data accessible via the internet.
While the election board does not know the tallies for specific races, it does know how many registered Republicans, Democrats, independents and Libertarians have returned ballots.
At mid-morning Thursday, that stood at 13,596 Democrats, 8,670 Republicans, 3,301 independents and 70 Libertarians.
One drawback to voting by mail is that some ballots are rejected because of improper documentation or because they arrive late and cannot be replaced.
Ballots that arrive damaged or are damaged in opening but are clearly marked and have proper documentation are “remade,” however. This requires all three election board members to examine the damaged ballot and agree on the remade one.
This same procedure is followed with military and overseas ballots that are faxed to the election board and can’t be read by the voting machines. These ballots require only the voter’s signature instead of the verification all others must include.
Absentee ballots can be requested through Oct. 27.
Some states have encouraged or required voting by mail for years, Oklahoma has not.
Featured video
Secretary Gwen Freeman said Sept. 28 that the downtown Tulsa ballpark will allow for ample parking, social distancing, and an open air space
Oklahoma voter guide 2020: What you need to know for the Nov. 3 election
Oklahoma voter guide 2020: What you need to know for Election Day
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.
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.
Absentee
Absentee voting
The ballot affidavit may be notarized OR the voter may submit a copy of a valid ID. Follow instructions to the letter.
Those who mailed their ballot must NOT vote in person. To check the status of your absentee ballot, go to https://okvoterportal.okelections.us.
Absentee voters who did not submit by the deadline may hand-deliver their own ballot in-person to the county election board, 555 N. Denver Ave., by 5 p.m. the day before Election Day; ID is required.
Absentee ballots may NOT be hand-delivered anywhere else.
For voters who neither mailed nor dropped off their absentee ballot, voting in person on Election Day is permitted upon signing an oath that only one ballot is being submitted.
Dates
To help with the safety of voters and polling site workers throughout the election process, Anheuser-Busch produced and is donating more than 61,000 ounces (about 476 gallons) of hand sanitizer. Tulsa World file
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.
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
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.
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.
Read more
Sen. Jim Inhofe says voters know all there is to know about him
Jim Inhofe, Abby Broyles ads hit the airwaves in Senate race
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.
