March 27, 2020
By News Director Jared Atha
Its becoming more clear as to when elections will take place throughout the area after an election emergency declared last week postponed elections scheduled to take place April 7.
According to election officials the election emergency allowed all entities, including those with statutory school board member elections, to reschedule their April 7 elections to another date allowed by law. The declaration was issued in response to the current COVID-19 health crisis, which has resulted in federal, state, and local restrictions.
Beckham County Election Board Secretary Sherron Manning said in a press release that elections for the Sayre, Erick, Hammon, Mangum, Sentinel, and Sweetwater Public Schools have been postponed and rescheduled for June 30th. Meanwhile the bond issue for the Canute Public Schools has been rescheduled for August 25.
Voters who were issued an absentee ballot for the April 7 election will be issued a new ballot for the June 30 election, if they are currently signed up to receive absentee ballots for all elections in which they are eligible to vote for the 2020 election year.
Voters who applied for an absentee ballot for the April 7 election only, will need to submit a new absentee ballot request for the June 30 election in order to vote in the rescheduled elections. Absentee ballots can be requested online using the OK Voter Portal.
While courthouses in the area remains closed to the public, county election board offices will continue to conduct business as usual by phone, email, and mail. Business hours may be modified due to the unusual circumstances, but calls and emails will be returned in a timely manner. Voters who need to conduct business in person can call or email the County Election Board to make special arrangements. Voters can also visit the Oklahoma State Election Board website at elections.ok.gov for more information.
