TULSA, Okla. — The Presidential election is now 42 days away, and this year is unlike any other due to the worldwide pandemic.
The deadline to register to vote for the November election is October 9th. CLICK HERE for everything you need to know to get registered to vote.
2 Works for You spoke with the Tulsa County Election Board Secretary Gwen Freeman about how COVID-19 is affecting the different voting processes.
Freeman said absentee ballot requests are at an all time high.
The county is sending 100,000 absentee ballots to Tulsa County residents for the November election, but not all at once. Unlike other election years, those ballots are sent out in chunks due to high demand.
READ MORE: DECISION 2020: Tulsa County Election Board begins mailing out absentee ballots
On Sept. 21, Freeman said 8,000 absentee ballots went out, so if your neighbor receives theirs before you, be patient, she said.
Freeman also said she is expecting 80 to 90 percent voter participation this year, that's including in-person, mail-in, and early voting, basically all registered voters.
Also, this year the Tulsa County Election Board will not be a location where early voting will take place from October 29th through the 31st.
Instead, ONEOK Field is stepping up and offering their space for those three days. Now, with early voting happening in one location, Freeman said expect longer lines and wait times.
“There are some great advantages for using that facility for the three day early voting period," Freeman said. "We would normally have that conducted here at the election board and at the Hardy Library locations because of the pandemic and the shortage of resources that we have.”
With careful planning and changes from both the June and August elections, along with leadership from the Oklahoma State Election Board, Freeman said the upcoming election will run smooth.
So, as they prepare, her number one goal is to make sure poll workers and voters are safe.
CLICK HERE for more information, deadlines, or to register to vote.
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