Deadline To Register To Vote In General Election Is Friday

With the Presidential election less than five weeks away, Oklahoma voters are quickly running out of time to register to cast their ballot for the next Commander in Chief.

And if you're already registered, you may still want to check your status, just to be safe.

The last chance for voters to register is Friday at midnight.

Also, if you're already registered, but haven't voted in the last two general elections, you could have trouble voting, come November.

It may seem slow at the Tulsa County Election Board right now, but the office expects unregistered voters to file in until the last possible minute on Friday.

"I know we will have a steady stream all day long," said Shelly Boggs, who works at the election board.

Jermaine Wilson, 19, beat the rush, and he said he is looking forward to casting his ballot for the first time.

"Because it's very important this time," Wilson said.

Boggs said they are taking every precaution Friday, to make sure voters have plenty of time to register.

"We're going to stay open until midnight, so no one in Tulsa County has any excuse not to be registered to vote," Boggs said.

Along with making sure they're signed up in time, Boggs said voters also need to check to see if they are still on the rolls.

State law requires the election board to remove any inactive voters after they have failed to vote in the previous two general elections.

"We have to do that after every general election. [It] usually happens sometime between April and June," Boggs said.

So, if you haven't recently updated your information and haven't been to the polls since the last Presidential election, you could find yourself having to fill out a provision ballot on November 6.

Last year alone, more than 100,000 voters were removed from the rolls.

"We do maintenance every month on our voter registration activity," Boggs said. "It's a good way to keep our rolls current.

Boggs said it's always a good idea to check your registration status before you vote, to ensure your voice will be heard.

"Let's do this now, instead of waiting until the day of the election to find out it's too late," Boggs said.

If you're in Tulsa County and are concerned that you may no longer be on the rolls, you can call them at (918) 596-5780.

And if you can't make it to the election board office, you can download a registration application from the Oklahoma State Election Board (PDF) and mail it in. All mailed applications have to be postmarked by October 12.