Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 5, for the Lindsay City Council election and Board of Education elections in the Whitebead and Elmore City-Pernell school districts.
In Lindsay, voters will be deciding four city council positions on the ballot. One of those positions is for a oneyear unexpired term on the council. Candidates for that position are Vern Roe, Amy Elledge, Billy R. Nye Jr. and Angel Wilbourn. The other three council positions are for two-year terms. Voters will choose between Tom Inman, Stephanie Palmer, Bev Barker, Bart Drennan, Greg Henderson, Shanda Hernandez and Steve Staggs to fill those positions.
In the Whitebead School District, voters will choose between Jess Patton and Belinda K. Hunt for a position on the Whitebead Board of Education currently occupied by Patton.
In the Elmore City-Pernell School District, Brent L. Balentine and Carl Stevens are vying for a school board office currently held by Balentine.
Garvin County Election Board Secretary Gayla Dean offered tips for voters, especially those that may be casting a ballot for the first time:
•.Mark your ballot using the example posted at your polling place and inside your ballot booth. If you make a mistake, do not try to correct it. Instead, take your ballot to the precinct officials. They will destroy the ballot and issue a new one.
•.You do not need to make a selection for each issue on the ballot in order for your ballot to be counted. The voting device will cast votes only for those issues which you have marked.
•.Ballots can be read by the voting device regardless of how you insert the ballot into the system. If the system detects too many markings for a single office or question, an error code will appear. The voter can choose to submit the ballot as it is or request a new ballot.
•.If you need assistance or would like to use the audio-assisted ballot system, let a precinct official know. You do not have to show proof of a disability to use the audio-assisted ballot system.
•.Be sure to bring an approved form of identification. Federal- and state-issued photo IDs, passports and tribal-issued photo IDs are accepted. You may also use the voter identification card you were mailed when you registered.
If you forget your voter ID or your name is not found in the precinct registry, you may still cast a provisional ballot by signing an affidavit. A provisional ballot is sealed in a special envelope and counted after election day, once the voter’s information has been verified by the County Election Board. Election results cannot be certified until all provisional ballots have been researched, verified and counted.
Dean said election officials are there to assist voters and ensure all procedures are followed on Election Day. If you believe a law has been violated. Contact precinct or county election officials immediately. Do not wait until you leave the polling location.
Voting activity is generally slowest during the mid-morning and mid-afternoon, but the election board says lines and wait times can vary from precinct to precinct. All voters who want to cast a ballot should be in line no later than 7 p.m.
“Anyone who is in line by 7 p.m. on Tuesday and eligible to vote, will be allowed to vote,” Dean said.
You can locate your polling location using the State Election Board’s OK Voter Portal at oklahoma.gov/ elections/ovp.
The Garvin County Election Board is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. For questions, please contact the election board at 405-238- 3303 or garvincounty@elections.ok.gov.
