Help with mail-in voting offered
Voters can get free assistance with mail-in ballots five days a week until the Nov. 3 election at a pair of retail and entertainment landmarks on 23 Street.
The initiative is sponsored b y t h e L e a g u e o f Women Voters Oklahoma in partnership with the EastPoint retail center, in the 1700 block of NE 23, and the Tower Theater, 425 NW 23.
Mail-in voting is expected to be heavy this year, with 2 9 7 , 7 8 4 a b s e n t e e b a l l o t requests submitted statewide as of Monday afternoon.
Volunteers wil l notari z e a b s e n t e e b a l l o t s t h r o u g h Nov. 1:
• At EastPoint's Kindred Spirits on Sundays 1-5 p.m., T h u r s d a y s 5 - 9 p . m. a n d Fridays 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
• A t T o w e r T h e a t e r o n T u e s d a y s 1 0 a . m . t o 2 p.m. and Saturdays 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
W h i l e t h e s e r v i c e s a t EastPoint and the Tower are f r ee, st ate l aw r equires al l notaries anywhere in the state to notarize mail-in ballots free of charge.
Vot e r s wi t h “s t a n d a r d ” a bs e nt e e ba l l o t s c a n have t hei r a bsentee bal l ot a f f i - davit notarized or they can sign their affidavit and include a c o p y o f t h e i r v a l i d I D , according to the state election board.
Vote r s wi t h “p h y s i c a l l y incapacitated” ballots must have t hei r absentee bal l ot affidavit signature witnessed by two people or they can sign their affidavit and include a copy of their valid ID.
League of Women Voters O k l a h o ma P r e s i d e n t J a n L a r g e n t s a i d o n e o f t h e League's most important missions is overcoming barriers to voting.
"Requiring voters t o get t hei r bal l ot s notari z e d, or even to attach a copy of their i denti f i c a t i on a s t he s t a t e is allowing during the pandemic, is a barrier that has a disproportionate impact on the elderly and the working class," she said in a written statement.
O k l a h o m a ' s i n t r i - c a t e r e q u i r e m e n t s f o r organizing envelopes, and for signatures, proof of identi f i cation and postage, can produce confusion that leads t o b a l l o t s b e i n g r e j e c t e d by county election boards. T h e L e a g u e h a s r e c o m - mended using two first-class stamps due to this year's bulky ballot.
"Ou r n o t a r i e s c a n h e l p voters avoid the sorts of mist a k e s t hat i nval i dat e d t he vot e s of more t han 3 , 000 people" in the June primary election, Largent said.
A community nonprofit, V O I C E , i s o f f e r i n g f r e e notary services on Saturday, f r om 1 0 a. m. t o 1 p. m., at Mayflower Congregational C h u r c h , 3 9 0 1 N W 6 3 , a nd Sunday, f r om 2 : 3 0 t o 4 : 3 0 p . m. , a t S t . Char l e s Borromeo Catholic Church, 5024 N Grove Ave., Meeting Room A.