Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, alongside state election officials, proudly announced a major victory in maintaining the state’s status as a national leader in election integrity.
As part of an ongoing effort to ensure that only eligible voters participate in Oklahoma elections, officials confirmed the removal of over 450,000 ineligible names from voter rolls since January 2021.
The sweeping cleanup includes purging deceased voters, duplicate registrations, and convicted felons.
“Voting is our most sacred duty as Americans— and every Oklahoman wants to know their vote is securely cast and properly counted,” said Governor Stitt in a statement.
“The State Election Board and the Secretary of State’s office continue to go above and beyond 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.”
Among the 453,000 voter registrations removed, Oklahoma officials confirmed the purge included 97,065 deceased voters, 14,993 duplicate registrations, 143,682 individuals who moved out-of-state, 5,607 felons, and nearly 195,000 inactive voters who failed the state’s address verification process.
According to Secretary of State Josh Cockroft, the state has fortified its electoral system through close collaboration with Governor Stitt’s office and the Legislature, implementing secure voting policies that protect the system from emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence threats.
“We’ve aggressively pursued policies to ensure voting is secure and accurate, and we’re innovating to protect our elections from emerging technology like AI. In Oklahoma, every eligible citizen will have their vote counted and their voice heard,” Cockroft said.
According to the press release:
In November 2023, Governor Stitt formed the Campaign Finance and Election Threats Task Force to rigorously assess the electoral process, scrutinize foreign investment in campaigns, and ensure Oklahoma elections are the safest in the nation.
The task force made recommendations, some of which have been adopted into law and procedure, such as banning ranked choice voting and mandating post-election audits. Citing numerous successful audits, the task force concluded that Oklahoma’s electoral process is one of the strongest in the nation.
“Oklahoma has a long tradition of doing elections right,” said Secretary of the State Election Board Paul Ziriax. “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.”
Oklahoma Election Fast Facts:
- Oklahoma continues the tradition of using hand-marked paper ballots which are counted by an e-scan tabulator.
- The e-scan vote tabulators do not have the capability to connect to the internet.
- Election officials work closely with Oklahoma Cyber Command to protect our election system from would-be attackers.
- During a recount or post-election audit, election results are confirmed by hand-counting paper ballots.
- The State and County Election Boards are bipartisan.
- In 2020, Governor Stitt signed SB 1779 to outlaw the practice of “ballot harvesting” and create new criminal penalties for violators.
- Oklahoma voter ID laws require proof of identity for every voter, regardless of whether you’re voting early, absentee, or in-person.
- Only United States citizens who are residents of Oklahoma may register to vote and state law explicitly prohibits noncitizens from accessing voter registration services.
- Poll watchers are commissioned by a candidate or the chair of a recognized political party to observe voting devices before and after the polls close.
- Polling places across Oklahoma are staffed by volunteers and voters just like you. Learn more about becoming a poll worker HERE.
The deadline to register to vote in the November election is October 11, 2024. Oklahomans can register to vote HERE and check their voter registration status HERE.
Governor Stitt reiterated the importance of safeguarding elections in a recent post on X, emphasizing the state’s commitment to hand-marked paper ballots and tabulation through e-scan machines that are entirely disconnected from the internet.
“Oklahoma continues the tradition of using hand-marked paper ballots. The ballots are counted by an e-scan tabulator. These tabulators do NOT have the capability to connect to the internet,” Stitt posted.
“Election officials work closely with Oklahoma Cyber Command to protect our election system from would-be attackers. During a recount or election audit, election results are confirmed by hand-counting the paper ballots.”
The governor also took aim at the controversial practice of ballot harvesting, reminding Oklahomans that he signed SB 1779 in 2020 to outlaw the practice and impose criminal penalties on violators.
He emphasized that the state’s strict voter ID laws—requiring proof of identity for every voter, whether voting early, absentee, or in person—ensure that only U.S. citizens residing in Oklahoma can participate in elections.
“We all need an ID to fly, buy alcohol, cash a check, etc. There’s no reason a state shouldn’t have strict voter ID laws. It’s just common sense,” Stitt said.
Check out the full update from my office here:https://t.co/RTax5IISyp
— Governor Kevin Stitt (@GovStitt) September 18, 2024
Last month, Governor Greg Abbott announced that the state has successfully removed over one million ineligible voters from its voter rolls since the enactment of Senate Bill 1 in 2021.
This decisive action includes nearly 500,000 deceased individuals and thousands of noncitizens.
The extensive review process conducted by the Secretary of State’s office and county voter registrars has yielded significant results, including:
- Over 6,500 noncitizens
- Over 6,000 voters with felony convictions
- Over 457,000 deceased individuals
- Over 463,000 voters on the suspense list
- Over 134,000 voters who confirmed they had moved
- Over 65,000 voters who failed to respond to examination notices
- Over 19,000 voters who requested cancellation of their registration
In total, these actions account for over 1.1 million ineligible voters being removed from Texas’ voter rolls.
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