Moving made easy: voting

You probably haven’t heard but there is a small election taking place later this year. If you are new to our city (and maybe even if you aren’t) you might be wondering how to register to vote. Don’t worry, here is just about everything you need to know.

• First, you have to register. You can do this by downloading a form online and mailing it in or by going to your county’s election board office, a tag agency, a post office, a public library or another designated public location.
• Once you’ve registered, you’ll get a voter ID card. You’ll need to show your voter ID card or current driver’s license when you go to your precinct to vote. If you’ve already registered and are in the Oklahoma State Election Board system, find your precinct using your name and birth date here. Or get additional help here.
• And then you vote. Statewide, polls are open at individual precincts from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on election days. Find your precinct. But you can vote early -- Request an absentee ballot in writing or through your individual county’s election board, or go in person to your county election board and participate in early voting, usually from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the Thursday and Friday before the election. Check the election calendar for specifics. In Oklahoma County, the address is 4201 N Lincoln Blvd.

The Oklahoma State Election Board’s website is a good resource.

Note that even if you have a mailing address from one of our suburbs, you still might be eligible to vote in Oklahoma City – if you pay utilities to the City of OKC. Also, here are the numbers to surrounding-area local election boards (with their county seats in parentheses) if you still have questions:

• Canadian County (El Reno) 405-422-2422
• Cleveland County (Norman) 405-366-0210
• Oklahoma County (Oklahoma City) 405-713-1515
• Pottawatomie County (Shawnee) 405-273-8376