Early Voting in Oklahoma — How It Works

Many people call it “early voting.” The Oklahoma State Election Board uses a different name for the same thing: in-person absentee voting. The Board says in-person absentee voting is more commonly referred to as “early voting” in Oklahoma.

This page explains the standing process the Board publishes. It does not list dates for any one election. For the dates of a specific election, check the Oklahoma State Election Board site.

Who can use it

To vote in Oklahoma, you must first be registered to vote. Once your registration is approved, you have multiple ways to cast your ballot.

The Board says in-person absentee voting — early voting — is available to all voters, and no excuse is needed. The Board says the same thing about absentee voting in general: any registered voter in Oklahoma may vote by absentee ballot, and it is not necessary to give a reason.

Where you go

You vote early at your designated early voting location in your county. You must vote in the county where you are registered.

Early voting locations are different from polling places. Each county has at least one early voting location, although some larger counties may have more than one location. A list of early voting locations is available on the State Election Board website.

The Board’s OK Voter Portal can be used to find your polling place and early voting information.

When it generally happens

This is the general standing schedule the Board publishes. Check the Board’s site for the dates of the specific election you mean, because the exact calendar dates change with each election.

• Thursday and Friday before an election: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Saturday before certain larger elections: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Saturday immediately preceding a state or federal Primary Election, Runoff Primary Election, General Election, or Presidential Preferential Primary Election.
• Wednesday before the General Election: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Those are the standing days and hours the Board lists on its Early Voting page. They are not the dates of any one election.

What to bring: proof of identity

Oklahoma law requires every voter who votes in person at the precinct polling place or during early voting at the County Election Board to show proof of identity before receiving a ballot.

The Board says there are three ways to prove your identity.

• A photo document. You may show any document issued by the United States, the State of Oklahoma, or a federally recognized tribal government if it includes your name, a photograph of you, and an expiration date that is later than the election in which you are voting. The Board gives these examples: an Oklahoma driver license, an Oklahoma Identification Card, a United States passport, and United States military identification. Your name on your proof of identity must mostly match your name in the Precinct Registry — the Board’s Proof of Identity page says the name must “substantially conform” to the name in the Precinct Registry.
• Your Voter Identification Card. You may show the free Voter Identification Card issued by the County Election Board. The Board says you may use it as proof of identity even though it does not include a photograph.
• A provisional ballot with a sworn affidavit. If you do not have, or if you refuse to show, proof of identity, you may vote by provisional ballot and prove your identity by signing a sworn affidavit.

Provisional ballots are sealed inside special envelopes and are not put through the voting device. After election day, County Election Board officials will investigate the information provided by the voter on the affidavit and either will approve the provisional ballot for counting or will reject it based on the outcome of that investigation. For a provisional ballot to be approved for counting, the information on the affidavit must match the information in the voter’s registration record.

What happens at the early voting location

Based on what the Board publishes, the steps are these:

• Check in and complete an application. The Board says you will need to complete an in-person absentee ballot application when you check in at your early voting location.
• Show proof of identity. State law requires you to show proof of identity before receiving a ballot, as explained above.

That is as far as the Board’s pages describe the check-in. This page does not add steps the Board does not publish.

How it differs from mail absentee voting

Mail absentee voting is the other absentee route. You request a ballot ahead of time instead of going in person during the early voting days.

No excuse is needed to vote by mail, just as no excuse is needed to vote early in person.

For mailed ballots, the Board states these standing return rules on its Absentee Voting page: mailed absentee ballots must be received by the County Election Board no later than 7:00 p.m. on election night, and hand-delivered absentee ballots must be received by the County Election Board no later than the close of business on the Monday before the election.

The Board also states a standing request deadline for absentee ballots: in most cases, absentee ballot requests must be received no later than 5 p.m. on the third Monday — 15 days — preceding the election.

How it differs from Election Day voting

On Election Day, you vote at the polling place you are assigned to, based on the address where you are registered. The Board says polling places are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Election Day, and that hours are different for early voting.

Early voting happens before Election Day, at a designated early voting location, which is different from your polling place. Election Day voting happens on Election Day itself, at your assigned polling place.

Check your registration and your election’s dates

Use the official route the Board names: the OK Voter Portal, on the Oklahoma State Election Board site.

The Board says you can use the OK Voter Portal to verify your voter registration information, find your polling place and early voting information, and view a sample ballot for your precinct. To access the OK Voter Portal, you will need your name, as it appears on your registration, and your date of birth. The Board notes that additional verification is required to access some services.

For the dates and details of a specific election, check the Oklahoma State Election Board site. This page is only a general explainer of the standing process.