Green Country Voters Head To The Polls Tuesday, Voting On 2 Senate Seats

People will head to the polls Tuesday to vote in several city, county, and state elections.

Lots of people are interested in two runoffs for Oklahoma Senate seats because that could affect the direction of the Senate.

The runoffs are for two seats that cover parts of Tulsa, Cherokee, and Wagoner Counties.

News On 6 Political Analyst Scott Mitchell says the results could impact the new legislative session.

The runoff for Senate District Three is between the incumbent, Blake Stephens and Julie McIntosh.

Both are Republicans, and Stephens was elected in 2020.

That district covers parts of Cherokee, Mayes, Rogers, and Wagoner Counties.

The two candidates in Senate District 33 are running for Sen. Nathan Dahm’s seat because he is term-limited after 12 years.

Republicans Christi Gillespie and Shelley Gwartney are battling to represent parts of Tulsa County, specifically, parts of Tulsa, Broken Arrow, and Bixby.

Mitchell says whoever wins these races could impact the ongoing ideological struggle within Senate Republicans.

“In the old days, you would have what would be called mainstream Republicans and Conservatives,” said Mitchell. “Now it sort of looks more like Conservatives and far-right Conservatives.”

Mitchell says since most Republicans have similar stances on presidential candidates, abortion, and gun control, it all depends on individual priorities.

“It's not that it's Democrat versus Republican, it's more along the lines of what do I, we, prioritize each year in terms of what we're trying to get done,” said Mitchell.

He says since runoff elections have historically low turnouts, each vote can have a big impact.

“It's almost like you're getting two for one,” said Mitchell. “You can't vote but one time, but the impact of your vote, you're a larger percentage of the people turning out than in almost any election.”

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and people can see a sample ballot for their precinct at the state’s online voter portal HERE.

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