Friday is the last day for Oklahomans to register to vote in the Nov. 5 elections.
Misha Mohr, a spokesperson for the State Election Board, said there’s been a surge in Oklahomans signing up to vote following National Voter Registration Day last month. The national daylong event aims to increase awareness of voter registration opportunities in hopes of helping people sign up who might not otherwise do so.
Since Sept. 30, Oklahoma has added over 12,000 voters to its rolls and seen an uptick in people updating or deleting their registrations. Over 2.43 million Oklahomans are currently registered to vote. The state does not keep statistics on how many people are eligible to vote, but have not registered.
“All of our county election boards have seen a surge, and they are busy still processing voter registration applications,” Mohr said.
She said she couldn’t speculate on the reason for the last-minute increase.
Mohr also said election officials recently sent out postcards to voters who possibly had a change of address to remind them to update their registrations.
“We’re starting to see people updating their registration or even deleting their registration if they have not done that,” Mohr said.
All voter registration applications must either be postmarked or received by Oct. 11, she said.
Oklahomas can register to vote through the online voter portal, but must have a valid state driver’s license or identification card that matches the address a person intends to use for their registration.
They can also register at their local tag agency, but should ensure that the application is stamped with the submittal date.
In-person early voting begins Oct. 30 and runs through Nov. 2. Early voting hours on the weekdays are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Nov. 2 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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