Oklahoma Education Association Encourages Voter Participation Ahead Of November Election

The Oklahoma Education Association is pushing to get more educators across the state to exercise their right to vote ahead of the November election.

OEA President Katherine Bishop said public education is on the ballot. She emphasizes the importance of selecting elected officials on a local, state, and federal level.

Bishop said she wants to ensure the OEA is represented at the ballot box, which is one of the organization’s strategic goals. She notes that funding from the state legislature directly impacts students and their classrooms, affecting everything from school resources to the policies lawmakers create.

She hopes the state legislature can continue to work toward sustainable solutions and maintain support for people working in the educational field.

“We seem to have a tendency in our state to give a pay raise every five to 10 years," Bishop said. "That is detrimental to our recruitment and retention of our educators and I’m just not talking teachers, I’m talking support professionals as well. So that is the key thing that’s happening right now.”

Currently, OEA is advocating for people to get registered to vote. Bishop states that it’s critical Oklahomans know that their voice matters.