Challenge To Tulsa County Clerk Election Continues

The challenge to the Tulsa County Clerk election results continues Friday.

Dean Martin petitioned for a recount after candidate Pat Key won the Republican primary run-off last month by 184 votes. An unofficial recount Friday, September 7 confirmed Key's victory, but the results will not be certified until Judge William Kellough rules on the contest.

Martin's legal team claims 534 absentee ballots have irregularities in their accompanying documentation.

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Judge Kellough is examining the contested ballots and the alleged irregularities for each one. The alleged irregularities include some with no notary stamp or seal, mismatched notary dates, expired notary stamps, no witness address or no assistant signature.

Some of the absentee ballot affidavits were found after most of the ballots had been turned over to the court, Election Board Secretary Patty Bryant said Friday morning. More than 50 absentee ballot affidavits were found and made available to the court after the last hearing date.

Bryant said those votes had been counted in the election but had been separated from the remainder. An employee returning from vacation found them, and they were made available to the court Tuesday, September 11.

Martin's attorneys say 29 of those 50-plus ballot affidavits are being contested.

Judge Kellough said he will review copies of the contested ballots and the specific allegations Martin is making about each one.

"We're in this for the long haul," he told the Key and Martin.