About 6,000 people removed from Rogers County voter rolls since Nov. 2022
Sep. 28—The state has purged 6,099 people from Rogers County's voter rolls since the 2022 November midterm elections.
Gov. Kevin Stitt said earlier in September that Oklahoma had taken 450,000 people off the voter rolls since 2021.
Julie Dermody, secretary of the Rogers County Election Board, said the state cuts voters out of the registry if they haven't cast ballots for eight years. A large number of the voters removed from Rogers County's rolls moved to another county or state, some have died, and others were convicted of felonies.
Only about 1,700 of the 6,099 removed voters were taken off the registry because they hadn't voted for eight years or more.
"It's a constant thing, trying to make sure that we keep everything clean," Dermody said. "Oklahoma is pretty good about it."
If a person hasn't voted in four years, the county election board sends a confirmation notice to see if the individual is still voting at the listed address.
A person gets put on "inactive" status for failing to return the letter or the letter bounces back to the election board with a "return to sender" label. Dermody said any piece of mail that gets returned to the election board will prompt it to list a voter as inactive.
The state will then remove inactive voters from the rolls after eight years have passed since the person cast a ballot.
Between November 2022 and September 2024, Rogers County sent out 5,240 confirmation letters, got 851 back and placed 2,213 people on inactive status.
Dermody said inactive voters just have to vote again to get off the inactive list. They may have to sign affidavits confirming their addresses when they go to vote; otherwise, they will have to register to vote again at their new addresses.
People who've been removed from the voter registry must register to vote again. She said those who want to check their registration status should go to okvoterportal.okelections.gov and type in a name and date of birth.
Dermody said people can also call 918-341-2965 or visit the Rogers County Election Board, 415 W. First St. in Claremore. She recommended people try the voter portal first and contact the election board with further questions.
The Rogers County Election Board will stay open until midnight Oct. 11, the last day to register to vote before the Nov. 5 general election. She said 84.6% of Rogers County residents 18 and older are registered to vote, compared to about 59% in the state overall.
"I'm really excited about Rogers County because not only [have we] got a good portion of our population registered — more than most counties — they're active as well," Dermody said. "If I can get them to be as active in local elections as they are in national elections, I'd be real happy, but we surpass most counties."
People can also register to vote at the Rogers County Democrats' office, at 104 S. Cherokee Ave. in Claremore. The office will stay open noon to 4 p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays until Nov. 5.
Tag agencies also allow people to register to vote or update their registrations. The Claremore Tag Agency is at 103 E. Patti Page Blvd., Suite No. 5.
