Tulsa County Election Board Prepares For Busy Election Day

The 2024 general election is Tuesday, with Oklahomans set to vote on various national, state, and city races.

Workers at the Tulsa County Election Board are preparing for Election Day.

Tulsa voters set a record with 26,000 early votes last week, and election officials expect hundreds of thousands to vote Tuesday in Tulsa County alone.

Final preparations include setting up nearly 200 precinct sites, such as the University of Tulsa, where off-duty firefighters are assisting. Two precincts, 42 and 44, will share a room there, each with designated booths and machines.

"Two boxes of signs, one precinct has nine booths, the other has eight, and since it has two precincts, this site will have two machines as well," said election worker Jayme Goad.

Election officials downtown gathered voting machines and ballots for Tuesday's use.

"We want to make sure the election is fair and free and that you're able to do what you need to do on Election Day," said election worker Jamie Worley.

During preparations, tornado sirens forced election board staff and some voters to take shelter in the building's vault.

"As soon as we got here, we heard the sirens, and everyone sheltered us quickly and efficiently," said Shreya Rohatgi, a first-time voter.

Once the alert passed, work resumed, with precinct officials continuing to collect supplies. Election board staff are processing absentee ballots, aiming to finish before the polls close Tuesday; these absentee and early votes will be the first results reported.

Though the absentee ballot deadline has passed, voters can still cast their ballots at their precincts on Election Day. Sample ballots and precinct locations are available on the Oklahoma Voter Portal.

Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Here's what you need to know before heading to the polls