Election 2024: Mayoral Forum, City Council Meet-And-Greet Happening at University of Tulsa

A mayoral forum and City Council candidate event will be held at the University of Tulsa, offering voters a chance to get informed ahead of the Aug. 27 municipal election.

The forum begins with a meet-and-greet session for voters to interact with the candidates until 6:30 p.m., followed by the opening of the auditorium. At 7 p.m., Tulsa World staff writer Kevin Canfield and Editorials Editor Ginnie Graham will moderate a Q&A session with the mayoral candidates Casey Bradford, Monroe Nichols, Karen Keith, Brent VanNorman, and John Jolley, focusing on issues pertinent to Tulsa residents. Admission to the event is free.

The event, sponsored by the University of Tulsa, the Tulsa World, the Tulsa Press Club, and the Tulsa Voter Coalition, will take place Thursday at the Lorton Performance Center at 5:30 p.m. on the TU campus, 550 S. Gary Place.

“One of the common missions of the University of Tulsa, the Tulsa World, the Tulsa Press Club, and the Tulsa Voter Coalition is to help inform voters,” said Jason Collington, Tulsa World editor and president of the Tulsa Press Club. “The last time we had a city council election, only 17% of Tulsans voted. Oklahoma is last in the nation in voter turnout. This event I hope is the start of turning that trend around.”

The general election is scheduled for Aug. 27, with runoff elections, if necessary, on Nov. 5. The deadline to register to vote in this election is Friday. Absentee ballot requests must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Aug. 12. Early in-person voting will be available on Aug. 22 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Aug. 24 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Tulsa County Election Board, 555 N. Denver Ave.