State Election Board Certifies General Election Returns, Awaits Contested Races

Wednesday, November 15th 2006, 9:02 pm

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ The state Election Board certifies the results of the November seventh election in which Democratic Governor Brad Henry beat Republican US Congressman Ernest Istook.

The board also certified other election results, except for a state House race in southeastern Oklahoma and judicial races in McClain and Oklahoma counties and a district that includes Craig, Mayes and Rogers counties.

Re-counts were ordered or hearings were set to investigate alleged voting irregularities in those races.

Board Secretary Mike Clingman says 926,462 people, or 45 percent of Oklahoma's registered voters, voted in the governor's race. That's more than 100,000 votes less than the more than 1-million people who voted in the 2002 election.

Clingman says historically, voter turnout has been low in elections in which an incumbent governor is seeking re-election.