With the Nov. 6 General Election quickly approaching, Oklahoma Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax is encouraging voters to confirm their precinct assignment and polling location before heading to the polls next Tuesday.
“Following the redistricting process of 2011, many voters had to be assigned to different polling places. For voters who have not voted yet in 2012, we encourage them to take a few moments to confirm their precinct assignment and polling place before heading to the polls next Tuesday,” Ziriax said.
Voters can use the State Election Board’s free polling place locator, available online at http://elections.ok.gov (see FAQ section) or http://www.ok.gov/elections/ppl/index.php.
Alternately, voters can also call their County Election Board for personal assistance. Every 10 years following the federal census, the state Legislature is required to conduct redistricting—the process of redrawing district lines for the U.S. Congress, the state Senate, and the state House of Representatives to ensure populations in these districts are equal. County Commissioners must redraw their districts to equalize populations, too.
Following redistricting, County Election Boards statewide must redraw precincts to conform to the new districts, resulting in many voters being assigned to new polling places. Voters are notified by their County Election Board with a new voter identification card whenever they are assigned to a new precinct due to redistricting. But experience shows that even with a notification, there can sometimes be confusion on Election Day. “As citizens prepare to cast their ballot, I’m encouraging them to add this one small task to their voting preparation list. As other voters have experienced, showing up at the right polling place for your precinct on Tuesday will make things go just that much smoother,” Ziriax said.
Answers to common election-related questions, can be found online at the State Election Board’s website: http://elections.ok.gov.