New Oklahoma County sheriff to be elected
For almost a century, voters in Oklahoma County have elected only Democrats to be sheriff.
That could change Tuesday in a special general election. Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The front-runner in the race is Oklahoma County Undersheriff P.D. Taylor, an Oklahoma City Republican.
He has been serving as acting sheriff since March 1 when his longtime boss, John Whetsel, retired.
Taylor, 71, could become the first elected Republican sheriff in Oklahoma County since Ben Dancy left office in 1928, according to records.
“To me, that’s a big deal,” Taylor said Monday.
Also on the ballot are an Oklahoma County sheriff’s deputy Mike Hanson, 54, a Choctaw
Democrat, and Canadian County sheriff’s deputy Ed Grimes, 63, an Oklahoma City independent.
All three have decades of law enforcement experience.
The winner Tuesday will complete the last three years and three months of Whetsel’s term.
Whetsel was popular with voters.
He was first elected in 1996 and won re-election five times, the last time in November.
He announced on Feb. 1 he would retire in a month.
“I am convinced that new leadership is required to solve the problems with the jail and overall funding of the many responsibilities of the Sheriff’s Office,” he wrote in his retirement letter.