Oklahoma Removes 450,000 Ineligible Voters from Rolls, Including More Than 5,000 Felons
By: Logan Washburn | September 20, 2024
Read more at https://thefederalist.com/2024/09/20/oklahoma-removes-450000-ineligible-voters-from-rolls-including-over-5000-felons/
Logan Washburn
Oklahoma election officials have removed more than 450,000 ineligible voters from the state’s rolls ahead of November’s election.
“Voting is our most sacred duty as Americans — and every Oklahoman wants to know their vote is securely cast and properly counted,” said Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt in a press release.
State election officials have removed 453,000 total ineligible voters since 2021, Stitt’s office announced Wednesday.
As part of “routine voter list maintenance,” the state has removed 5,607 felons, 14,993 duplicate registrations, 97,065 dead voters, and 143,682 voters who moved out of state, according to the release. During address verification, officials also canceled 194,962 inactive voters.
Stitt’s office has been working with legislators, the state election board, and the secretary of state on voter list maintenance. Officials are using technology like artificial intelligence to “protect our elections,” said Secretary of State Josh Cockroft in the release.
“We’ve aggressively pursued policies to ensure voting is secure and accurate,” Cockroft said. “Every eligible citizen will have their vote counted and their voice heard.”
Oklahoma allows “only eligible voters” to take part in elections, according to the release. The state’s June primaries had a “100% voter verification match,” KOSU reported.
Stitt formed a Campaign Finance and Election Threats Task Force in November 2023, according to the release. The task force works to “assess the electoral process, scrutinize foreign investment in campaigns, and ensure Oklahoma elections are the safest in the nation.”
The task force recommended random post-election audits, banning ranked-choice voting, regulating the use of AI, changing contribution limits by “non-corporate entities,” banning foreign campaign expenditures, and working with Native American tribes to enforce election law, according to state documents.
“This Task Force was charged with investigating the most critical aspect of our republic: ensuring our elections are free and fair,” Stitt said in an April press release, encouraging state legislators to adopt the recommendations.
Paul Ziriax said in the latest press release that successful recounts and post-election audits have “proven the accuracy of Oklahoma’s voting system.”
“Our laws and procedures are designed to ensure the integrity and security of our elections,” Ziriax said.
Texas recently announced the removal of 1.1 million ineligible voters from the rolls during routine maintenance ahead of November’s election, as The Federalist previously reported. Other states have taken similar steps to deal with ineligible voters on the rolls.
Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin revealed in an executive order in August that the state’s department of elections had removed more than 6,300 noncitizens from the voter rolls, as The Federalist reported. The same month, Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen announced his office found more than 3,000 potential noncitizens registered to vote. Earlier this year, Ohio discovered more than 100 noncitizens registered to vote, spurring the state to clean its voter rolls.
For more election news and updates, visit electionbriefing.com.
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