Lines a cause to cheer

S everal months ago, some groups in Oklahoma insisted that concerns about in-person voting during the COVID-19 pandemic warranted a relaxing of the state's absentee balloting rules. Those concerns were overstated, to say the least.

The state did see a record number of absentee ballots requested by voters, 350,900. As expected Democrats, who led the push to change the absentee balloting rules, returned the most absentee ballots (more than 129,000). Republican voters returned nearly 113,000. In all, 280,753 ballots were cast by mail, according to the state Election Board.

But while the use of mailed ballots were more popular than ever, so too was early, in-person voting, pandemic or not. The Election Board says 165,578 people turned out on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, eclipsing the mark of 153,000 set in 2016. In all, more than 446,000 Oklahomans voted ahead of Election Day.

The large in-person turnout and COVID-related precautions translated to long waits in higher-density locations such as Oklahoma County and Cleveland County. Many voters reported standing in line several hours all three days at some locations, including the Oklahoma County Election Board site on North Lincoln.

This led to some complaints. State Rep. Emily Virgin, D-Norman, who leads her caucus in the Oklahoma House, tweeted about getting reports of “unacceptably long lines to early vote” and said this must be addressed by future policy. Others shared those views.

It may be that some county election boards should consider whether to try to open additional sites for early in-person voting in the years ahead. But it's also true that this election year has been like no other. And, what constitutes “unacceptably long?” Why is it that no one blinks about waiting outside a box store for hours and hours for a Christmas sale, or standing in line forever for a special meal (before COVID, diners in Austin, Texas, routinely waited 3-4 hours on weekdays — longer on Saturday — to eat at Franklin Barbecue), but it's considered beyond the pale every two or four years to waits to carry out a citizen's most important duty?

Of course the lines can be a challenge and frustrating, especially if the weather doesn't cooperate as was the case last Thursday. Yet we should celebrate the fact that this is a potential issue, because it means voters are responding like never before.

“People are serious,” one voter in line in Oklahoma City told our reporters. “They want a president that will look out for the people, to care about what the people are going through. Maybe they'll see these people are serious.”

Another voter said he was glad to see the large turnout in Moore. “I knew that everybody was concerned about this election,” he said.

In Norman, a female voter shared that sentiment in making a point worth remembering: “In other countries,” she said, “people don't have this right and this freedom.”