Okla. State Election Board Warns Voters Of False Polling Place Change Notifications

The Oklahoma State Election Board issued a warning to voters about a false polling place change notification.

On Friday, some voters received text messages claiming the voter's polling place had changed. The text message asked for voter to reply to the text to confirm their name. It provided a phone number to call to be taken off the notification list only for the number to reportedly belong to a male escort service, the state election board said.

The complaint has been referred by election officials to law enforcement investigators.

“Disinformation about the voting process is a real threat. Voters should be very cautious about phone calls, emails, social media posts and text messages containing false information about elections – and report suspicious communications to election officials immediately,” Oklahoma State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax said.

Polling place changes are rare, and when they happen, the affected voters are notified by the county election board through U.S. mail.

“Election officials will never contact you by text message to tell you your polling place has changed,” Ziriax said.

Voters can find and verify online at the OK Voter Portal on the state election board's website or by contacting their county election board directly.