Be wary of fraudulent election-tampering claims, state official says

“We continue to see misinformation and conspiracy theories related to elections that just are not accurate,” Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax said during a Monday press conference. “We want to encourage Oklahoma voters to be skeptical of claims they may hear, especially on social media. Just be cautious about what you are reading.”

“Oklahoma has one of the most accurate and secure voting systems in the entire world,” Ziriax said.

Besides, he added, election officials and workers have a vested interest in their performances and the performance of the system.

“For election officials, this is our Super Bowl,” he said.

Ziriax again urged voters to check the location of their polling places and make sure they have identification as they head out to cast ballots on Tuesday. He said precinct boundaries and some polling locations have changed since 2020 because of redistricting.

Polling locations are listed on new voter identification cards issued earlier this year and can also be checked online through the OK Voter Portal on the State Election Board‘s website or by contacting local election boards.

One polling place in McCurtain County had to be moved because of last week’s tornado, but that was the only storm-related change, officials said.

Besides voting location, the voter portal also provides access to sample ballots, which may help avoid surprises at the voting stall.

“There are a lot of races on the ballot you are not seeing on television, so it is good to know what those are before you go vote, such as judicial races, judicial retention questions, county offices,” Ziriax said.

Identification is required for in-person voting. This can include a voter registration card or a valid state, federal or tribal photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport.

Those with no ID or whose eligibility is disputed may sign an affidavit swearing to their identity and submit a provisional ballot, which will be allowed if the affidavit information matches voter registration rolls.

Zirax said early in-person voting and mail-in absentee ballots are continuing a general upward trend, although they are down somewhat from the pandemic-plagued 2020 election.

Taking advantage of one extra early voting day, more than 132,000 Oklahomans cast ballots in person last week, Ziriax said. That is about halfway between the 167,000 in 2020 and 107,000 in 2018, the last gubernatorial election year, and far more than the 44,000 in 2014.

“That is really exciting,” Ziriax said.

As of 8:30 a.m. Monday, county election boards had received almost 67,000 mail-in ballots, with two full days to go before the 7 p.m. Tuesday deadline for them to be received.

That’s far below the 283,000 cast in 2020 but on track to easily surpass the 68,000 in 2018 and 26,000 in 2014.

Mail-in ballots are processed but not counted until Election Day. The results of early in-person voting are tallied by individual machines but also are not extracted from the machines until Tuesday.

Almost 1.2 million ballots were counted in the 2018 gubernatorial election, a record for governor. The state’s voter rolls have grown by about 175,000 since then.

Ziriax also warned against electioneering — that is, trying to coerce or influence voters — within 300 feet of a ballot box.

“That is state law,” he said. “It is actually a criminal offense. Electioneering is advocating for or against a candidate or issue on the ballot. That could be a ballcap, button or a T-shirt with your favorite candidate’s name or logo.”

Ziriax said voters who believe someone is violating the electioneering law should immediately contact officials.

“You want to immediately notify the precinct inspector,” he said. “That is the official in charge of the polling place. Or contact your county election board.”