OKC VeloCity | Register to vote by Jan. 15 for upcoming municipal, school board elections
City Policy Election Politics Schools

Register to vote by Jan. 15 for upcoming municipal, school board elections

By Kaylee McDaniel / Inside OKC / January 14, 2021

The voter registration deadline for upcoming municipal and school board elections is Jan. 15. Residents who are registered in Wards 1, 3 and 4 of Oklahoma City will be able to vote for their Oklahoma City Council seat on Feb. 9. People who live in the Oklahoma City Public School District will have the opportunity to vote for board chairperson and the representatives for Districts 1 and 2.

To check or update your registration status, use the Oklahoma State Election Board’s OK Voter Portal at oklahoma.gov/elections/ovp.

Confirm your voter registration here

To register to vote, use the portal’s voter registration wizard to complete your application online, then print, sign and return it to your local county election board by 5 p.m. on Jan. 15. You can also download a voter registration application at oklahoma.gov/elections, or get one at your county election board, post offices, tag agencies, libraries and other public locations.

Eighteen total candidates filed for the Oklahoma City Council election, including Councilwoman Nikki Nice, who was the only candidate filed for Ward 7. Other candidates listed in the order in which they appear on the ballot are:

Ward 1

  • Jay Sherrill
  • Susan Kay Parisi
  • Shay Varnell
  • Bradley Carter
  • Megan Scott
  • Joshua W. Debolt
  • Richard Thomas Buchanan
  • Nana Abram Dankwa
  • Bill Fleming

Ward 3

  • Kelli Payne
  • Barbara Young
  • Tim Long
  • Trey Bishop
  • Jessica Martinez-Brooks
  • Allen Swanda

Ward 4

  • Sam Wargin Grimaldo
  • Todd Stone (incumbent)
  • Larry Hopper

The following individuals filed to run for the Oklahoma City Public School Board elections:

Chairperson Seat

  • Paula Lewis (incumbent)
  • Charles Henry
  • Wilfredo Santos Rivera

District 1

  • Brett Hayes
  • Carole Thompson

District 2

  • Lori Bowman
  • James McHenry

District 7

  • Meg McElhaney (incumbent)

The Feb. 9 primary election determines whether a runoff election is necessary. If a candidate earns more than half the votes in their Ward on Feb. 9, they are elected to office. If no candidate earns more than half the votes, the two candidates with the most votes advance to a decisive runoff on April 6.

Learn more about the city council election here and the school board election here.