A Bubble Off Plumb

The governor has reissued the state of emergency for Oklahoma. Obviously the Coronavirus pandemic isn’t going away any time soon.

But what does that mean to the everyday lives of residents of the Sooner State?

It is going to affect how we vote, for one. Now, if it has always been your policy to go to your polling place on election day and cast your ballot, you won’t notice much of a change, other than having to wear a mask. You may have to wait to enter the poll to keep social distancing in force. But that’s about it. If you early vote in per

If you early vote in person, that won’t change a lot either. Again, the mask rule will apply. Social distancing and capacity limits inside the elections office will apply. Of course you will have to provide appropriate identification and voter registration card.

But if you want to absentee vote, there are a few changes. There had been talk of requiring signatures to be notarized, but the state of emergency eliminates that require ment. Instead, voters who use an absentee ballot will need to verify their identity by attaching a copy of their driver’s license, state ID or voter registration card.

The absentee ballot packets will be marginally different as well, with the exterior envelope that contains all the other envelopes and ballot, as well as the ID, being a standout color so that the postal service can immediately identify it as a ballot and ensure it goes to the elections office in an expedited manner.

As always, if you have questions or concerns about your voter status, where you vote or the various methods of casting a ballot, contact your county elections office or log on to ok.gov/elections.

Connie Burcham can be reached at Editor@WatongaRepublican.com