It’s that time of the year again. The end of the year can be so busy for Oklahomans with holidays, school and the wild weather. Within all of the bustle, something that tends to be overlooked, especially in Oklahoma, is voting.
As we look forward to another election season, it’s important for voters to know how important their vote is and the impact that it holds. Voters deserve to know that their voices matter; their rights are protected, and most importantly, their votes will be counted.
Protecting our elections is about more than any single candidate or political party. It is about protecting the democratic process that allows every eligible Oklahoman to participate. Our elections depend on rules that are applied fairly and consistently. They also depend on the dedicated state and local election officials who work to administer elections, verify ballots and ensure results are accurately counted.
Oklahoma already has safeguards in place to help protect that process. Our state uses a paper-ballot system across all 77 counties, and voting devices are not connected to the internet. Ballots are also protected through a strict chain of custody, while election officials conduct testing before elections and audits after them. These safeguards are part of what allows voters to have confidence in the outcome, even when they may disagree with it. That confidence matters because Oklahoma has historically seen lower voter participation than the national average. From 2002 to 2024, Oklahoma’s average voter turnout among eligible voters was 46.1%, compared with 52.4% nationally. When fewer than half of eligible voters participate on average, making sure people understand the voting process and know where to find accurate information becomes even more important.
Currently, there are efforts to create doubt about whether election results can be trusted. Oklahoma should not allow political noise to overshadow the work being done by the people responsible for running our elections. Instead, we should make sure voters know where to turn for accurate information. The Oklahoma State Election Board encourages voters to rely on state and local election officials as trusted sources for election information. The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy, and protecting that right requires all of us to take part. That can mean learning the rules before Election Day, understanding your voting rights, volunteering as a poll worker, or simply helping your friends and neighbors find accurate information about how and where to vote.
But our responsibility does not end when the polls close. Counting ballots, conducting post-election audits and certifying results are essential parts of the democratic process. Voters should have confidence that these processes will be allowed to work without intimidation or interference. We can disagree with an outcome while still respecting the process that produced it.
We have a responsibility to protect the integrity of our elections regardless of who we support at the ballot box. Democracy works when people participate, when election officials can do their jobs, and when we respect the process even when the results are not what we hoped for. Oklahoma voters should not have to wonder whether their voices will be heard. We can protect our elections by staying informed, supporting our local election officials, and making sure every eligible voter has the opportunity to cast a ballot and have it counted.
Our democracy belongs to all of us. Protecting it does, too.
