Oklahoma heightens civic engagement worries with removal of over 453,000 from voter rolls

OKLAHOMA CITY — The removal of more than 453,000 inactive or ineligible Oklahoma voter registrations has prompted concerns over citizen disillusionment and calls for state residents to make sure they can vote in nearing elections.

State officials said the deletions have taken place since Jan. 1, 2021, and are part of routine maintenance that ensures voter rolls are up-to-date. Gov. Kevin Stitt announced the removals on Wednesday, saying they are part of a necessary process to ensure secure elections.

Some community leaders, though, responded to the announcement by urging the state to do more to register new voters and to better support Oklahomans who feel left out of the political process.

More than 2.38 million residents of the state are registered to vote, according to state Election Board data.

The state could engage more voters by automatically registering Oklahomans when they turn 18, become U.S. citizens or when they interact with a state agency, said Andy Moore, the CEO of Let’s Fix This, a local organization focused on boosting civic participation.

“I think our main position is the way that Oklahoma audits and maintains their voter list is good,” Moore said. “There are a lot of opportunities the state could take to try to register new voters, and they don’t do that. I think that’s where the imbalance occurs.”

Oklahomans should confirm their voter registration before the next election, update it when they move to a new address and show up to vote, Moore said.

Voters must register by Oct. 11 to participate in the Nov. 5 General Election. Oklahoma has had some of the lowest rates of voter turnout in the past four presidential general elections, U.S. Census Bureau data shows.

“If voting is important to you, don’t take it for granted,” Moore said.

Over the past three years, Oklahoma election officials removed 143,682 voters who moved out of state, 97,065 who died, 14,993 duplicate registrations and 5,607 people who were convicted of a felony, according to the Governor’s Office.

Inactive voters made up the largest share of the removals with 194,962. These are voters who haven’t participated in any election throughout four consecutive general election cycles, generally spanning eight years. They also would not have responded when the Oklahoma State Election Board sent them an address verification letter.

“Voting is our most sacred duty as Americans — and every Oklahoman wants to know their vote is securely cast and properly counted,” Stitt said in a statement. “The State Election Board and the Secretary of State’s office continue to go above and beyond in their responsibility to ensure only eligible Oklahomans can vote in our elections. Their progress reassures me we will continue to lead the nation in election integrity efforts.”

Rep. Mauree Turner, D-Oklahoma City, said the removal numbers are “alarming” and shouldn’t be celebrated by state leaders. Deleting registrations excludes more voters and doesn’t solve any of the state’s most pressing issues, said Turner, who uses they/them pronouns.

Meeting Oklahomans’ need for a strong public education system, better health care, living wages and inclusive policies would enable residents to be more active voters, they said.

“My first thought is how many people are in there that have been purged and don’t know that they’ve been purged,” Turner said. “All this is going to do is discourage people who are already less inclined to show up to the polls anyway in a deeply red state. And I think that’s just deeply unfortunate.”

Oklahomans might see fewer reasons to show up at the polls if they are part of marginalized groups that feel ignored or harmed by elected leaders, said Turner, who didn’t seek reelection after four years in the state Legislature. They said others might be busy with child care or working multiple jobs.

Turner encouraged these voters to participate in elections, even if they feel excluded from the political system, and to engage in community organizing and run for office. They said Oklahoma needs more candidates who “had to live on the other side of the policies that the Legislature has created.”

“I think it’s time that we start engaging and leaning into folks like that,” Turner said. “Those types of candidates don’t look like establishment politicians. They don’t look like the folks who are elected in the Oklahoma Legislature. So, I think those are the types of folks that need to be elected.”