TULSA, Okla. — Every year, National Voter Registration Day falls on the fourth Tuesday in September. Numbers show exercising the right to vote means a lot more to Tulsa County residents this year.
Officials say registrations are skyrocketing.
“We’re looking at historic numbers for the election board approaching this presidential election,” said Gwen Freeman, secretary of the Tulsa County Election Board.
Freeman reported historic numbers in absentee ballots, which started being mailed out Monday. Another record broken in voter registration this year.
READ MORE: DECISION 2020: Tulsa County Election Board begins mailing out absentee ballots
“Normally, registration for a presidential year starts picking up in the month of October,” Freeman said.
The pickup is a month early this time-- in September 2019 6,338 Tulsans registered to vote in September, the same month in 2020 is 11,241.
“We have people registering for the first time because they feel strongly about one issue or the other,” Freeman said.
READ MORE: DECISION 2020: What's on the Nov. 3 election ballots?
“Every vote counts. You cannot stay home and not vote, then complain when whoever you wanted to win didn’t get the position,“ said Beryl Bollo, a Tulsa resident on a green card from Kenya.
“Unfortunately, I can’t, but if I was able to, I would vote every time,” Bollo said.
Despite the inability to cast her own ballot, Bollo knows its importance and hopes others do, too.
“Sometimes, you might think that it’s just one vote, but it’s not," Bollo said. "There’s more than one person thinking the same way you are. That can add up.”
READ MORE: DECISION 2020: Deadlines, resources for Oklahoma voters
The League of Women Voters of Metropolitan Tulsa is hosting a drive-thru registration event Tuesday. It starts at 9 a.m. and runs until 6 p.m. at the Morton Health Center, 1334 N Lansing Avenue.
Tulsa County residents can also register at the Tulsa County Board of Election.
For more information, click here.
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