People who haven’t voted in a while, are registered twice, haven’t confirmed their address with their county election board, are convicted felons — or dead — are routinely removed from the voter rolls.
It’s a common practice across the country to ensure state voter registries are clean and current. In a press release this week, Stitt touted the number of people removed since the last presidential election as a sure-sign of Oklahoma’s secure process.
“Voting is our most sacred duty as Americans — and every Oklahoman wants to know their vote is securely cast and properly counted,” Stitt said. “The State Election Board and the Secretary of State’s office continue to go above and beyond in their responsibility to ensure only eligible Oklahomans can vote in our elections. Their progress reassures me we will continue to lead the nation in election integrity efforts.”
Stitt, Secretary of State Josh Cockroft and State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax all touted Oklahoma’s election process as one of the safest in the country.
“We’ve aggressively pursued policies to ensure voting is secure and accurate,” Cockroft said.
Ziriax added that his office and other state officials have ensured elections are fair and results are accurate.
“Oklahoma has a long tradition of doing elections right,” he said. “Recounts and post-election audits have consistently proven the accuracy of Oklahoma’s voting system, and our laws and procedures are designed to ensure the integrity and security of our elections.”
The state election board boasted a 100% voter verification in the June 18 primaries this year.
Still, not everyone is gung-ho with confidence regarding state elections though, as demonstrated by a recent contest of a sheriff runoff election in Comanche County filed by the local District Attorney there.
Here is the breakdown of voters purged from the rolls by total and type since 2021, as provided by the Governor’s office:
194,962
Duplicate voters
14,993
Felony-convicted
5,607
Moved out-of-state
143,682
Deceased
97,065
Roll maintenance breakdowns by month can be found on the state election website. Last month alone, for example, 6,426 voter registrations were canceled.
The voter roll purge happens in Oklahoma every other summer, according to state statute, and it’s common for irregular voters to be removed without knowing.
So, it’s a good idea for Oklahomans who haven’t voted in a few years but plan to this November, to check their registration status in the state voter portal.
The last day to register to vote is October 11.
Copyright 2024 KOSU
