By: Journalist Lilian Fuchs (ECU)
Rep. Krislyn Sherer (OU) brought House Bill No. OU-522 to session this year.
This is a bill that aims to register all Oklahomans to vote as soon as they turn 18. Sherer (OU) said she hopes this bill would take away at least one barrier that Oklahomas have to stop them from voting.
“I brought this bill because Oklahoma is ranked last in voter turnout behind territories of the United States, Guam and Puerto Rico,” Sherer said. “We have representation that they do not have in Congress. We are a state in the way that they are not, and I believe that Oklahoma as a state would be improved significantly by seeing the voters who are here but not participating getting involved.”
The Secretary of the State Election Board will automatically enroll all electors who meet the requirements to register to vote into the Registration Database. Oklahomas will still have the option to apply to register to vote or update their registration as needed.
The Secretary of the State Election Board would be required to send each person a mailed notice of their registration. The mailing costs will be paid by the county. The registration information could also be sent electronically if authorized by the Secretary of the State Election Board.
Voters who wish to not participate in the automatic registration are allowed to opt-out. This bill will go into effect 90 days after its passage.
Some delegates thought this bill was a good idea to not have people jump through so many hoops just to be able to vote. The majority of the delegates did not like the bill as it was written. It failed in the House with a negative vote of 34 and an affirmative vote of 27. Some of the worry from the body was that if someone didn’t register themselves, then there would be no one registered to specify parties and no one would be able to vote in primary elections.