Connect with us

Oklahoma

Oklahoma election today: What’s on the ballot? Primary runoffs, hotel tax and more

Published

on

Oklahoma election today: What’s on the ballot? Primary runoffs, hotel tax and more


play

Oklahomans head to the voting booth Tuesday to decide local issues like taxes, school bonds and legislative seats.

Polling locations will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. on Tuesday. The EMBARK bus, RAPID and OKC Streetcar services will be free on all routes to help registered voters make it to the polls.

Advertisement

What’s on Tuesday’s ballot? Here’s what to know about Oklahoma’s Aug. 27 election:

When are elections taking place this year?

The next scheduled election in Oklahoma is the Aug. 27 primary runoff for federal, county and state offices. The deadline to register to vote in this election was Aug. 2.

The general election will be Tuesday, Nov. 5.

What do I need to take to the polls?

You will need to prove your identity to cast a regular ballot.

This can be done with a valid photo ID or the voter registration card you received from your County Election Board when you registered to vote.

Advertisement

Valid IDs must be issued by either the federal government, the state or a tribal nation, and the expiration date must be past the election date. If you don’t present a valid ID, poll workers will allow you to vote using a “provisional” ballot if you sign a sworn affidavit.

What’s on the ballot? See sample ballot in Oklahoma

To see who will be on your ballot, visit the state election board’s election list.

Elections of note:

Oklahoma City will vote on a hotel tax

Oklahoma City voters will decide Tuesday whether to increase the local hotel occupancy tax.

The tax is paid by those staying in the city’s hotels, and the funds are used to promote the city’s tourism industry. If passed, the tax would increase from its current rate of 5.50% to 9.25%, effective Oct. 1. The tax increase would also be charged to people renting home-sharing properties, such as Airbnbs, in Oklahoma City.

Advertisement

The last time OKC’s hotel tax appeared on the ballot, nearly 90% of voters approved the rate.

More: The growing Guthrie Public Schools district among those seeking passage of bond proposals

Metro communities voting on fire protection, schools, roads

In the cities and communities around Oklahoma City, there are several propositions that would increase taxes or allow the sale of bonds.

Deer Creek Fire Protection District is asking residents within its borders to increase their allocation to 10 mills from the current 7 or 7.3 mills. A mill is equal to $1 in tax for every $1,000 in a property’s taxable value. The district noted it hasn’t asked for an increase in 28 years.

McLoud Public Schools proposed bonds worth $30 million for new construction and another $1.1 million to acquire transportation equipment.

Advertisement

Piedmont residents’ ballots will include 25-year bond proposals that would raise over $10 million for streets, nearly $4.7 million for sports and recreation facilities, and $1.9 million for municipal facility construction.

Shawnee will elect a new mayor. Residents will decide between incumbent Mayor Ed Bolt and challenger Eric Stephens. The ballot will also include a contest for Ward 2 council seat between Greta Madson and Sydnie Davidson.

Further down the turnpike, Tulsa will select a new mayor.

Legislative primary runoffs

Ten legislative races will appear on ballots across the state as Republicans make their final choices for November. Each of these candidates were forced into a runoff when no candidate had a majority of votes in their partisan primary.

More: Four legislative races to be decided in primary runoff elections on Tuesday

Advertisement

Several of these primary runoff contests are for seats in the Oklahoma City area.

  • North OKC’s Senate District 47 is currently held by term-limited Senate leader Greg Treat. The Republican primary runoff will see Kelly E. Hines face Jenny Schmitt.
  • In Cleveland County, Lisa Standridge will face Robert C. Keyes for the GOP nomination in Senate District 15.
  • House District 20 covers the cities of Newcastle and Goldsby. Republicans Mike Whaley and Jonathan Wilk will be on the ballot there.
  • Moore’s state representative in District 53 will be Jason Blair or Nick Pokorny. Because there are no other candidates, the winner will become the district’s next representative.
  • In Canadian County, the House District 60 GOP runoff features Mike Kelley and Ron Lynch. No other parties fielded a candidate.
  • Northeast of Oklahoma City in Lincoln County is House District 32, currently held by House Appropriation and Budget Committee Chair Kevin Wallace. His challenger in the contentious election is fellow Republican Jim Shaw.
  • Further afield in Oklahoma, several other races will be decided on Tuesday. In the Duncan area, retiring District 50 state Rep. Marcus McEntire will be replaced by either Stacy Jo Adams and Andrew Aldridge. Both are Republicans.
  • A Republican state senator in eastern Oklahoma near Tahlequah is trying to hold onto his seat. Blake Cowboy Stephens faces a primary challenge from Julie McIntosh in Senate District 3.
  • Senate District 33 features a race between Republicans Christi Gillespie and Shelley Gwartney in Broken Arrow.
  • Another contest in Broken Arrow pits state Rep. Dean Davis against Gabe Woolley. Davis made headlines last year when he was arrested for public intoxication. The winner in the House District 98 GOP primary runoff will face the Democratic nominee in November.



Source link

Oklahoma

The Spring adds immersive walkthrough to annual Encounter Hope gala in Sand Springs, Oklahoma

Published

on

The Spring adds immersive walkthrough to annual Encounter Hope gala in Sand Springs, Oklahoma


A Tulsa-based nonprofit is adding an immersive, walkthrough experience to its annual fundraising gala, aiming to give attendees a closer look at what survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking face — and how support services can help.

The Spring, which provides services to people impacted by domestic violence and human trafficking, will feature the walkthrough as part of Encounter Hope, its annual gala set for April 9 at the Arvest Convention Center.

The experience is designed to guide guests through the story of an abuse survivor across four stages of interaction with The Spring: the inciting incident, the crisis call, time at the emergency crisis shelter, and moving into safety.

“The idea is really to put you in the shoes of the people that we serve every day,” Allison Wells,

Advertisement

The Spring’s events and environments coordinator, said. “It’s easy to throw out stats about violence and trafficking in Oklahoma, throw out our service numbers each year, but these are really peoples’ lives. We want to put our attendees in the mindset of one person, one story. What would you do if you were facing this?”

After the walkthrough, attendees will have the opportunity to assemble move-in kits for The Spring’s shelter guests and write personal notes of encouragement.

The program portion of the evening will include a panel discussion hosted by Karen Larsen, an Emmy Award-winning journalist who anchored Tulsa’s Channel 2 for almost 30 years.

“Tulsa is an incredibly charitable city, and we know that these kinds of gala events aren’t rare here,” Leslie Clingenpeel, The Spring’s CEO, said. “Our goal is to go beyond the model of these fundraising-only type events. More than anything, we want people to understand what we do, to know that we’re here, to know what our frontline advocates are doing every single day. Domestic violence and trafficking are hard to look away from once you’re aware of them. We want to build that awareness to the people of this city.”

Individual tickets and table packages are available for purchase.

Advertisement

Attendees are encouraged to register before April 1 because space is limited.

More details and purchasing information are available at www.thespringok.org/encounterhope.

The Spring is a Tulsa-based nonprofit offering services to those affected by domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking.

The organization provides emergency crisis shelter, transitional living, and non-residential services.

More information is available at www.thespringok.org.

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

Oklahoma

Oklahoma State outlasts UCF in overtime, Houston next

Published

on

Oklahoma State outlasts UCF in overtime, Houston next


ORLANDO, Fla. –

The Oklahoma State Cowboys men’s basketball bounced back in a big way Tuesday night.

Anthony Roy scored 27 points and Kanye Clary added 23, including seven in overtime, as Oklahoma State defeated the UCF Knights men’s basketball 111-104 in Orlando.

The Cowboys controlled the extra period, finishing overtime on an 11-4 run and outscoring UCF 17-10.

Advertisement

Clary played a major role in closing it out. He hit a key 3-pointer and went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in overtime to help seal the win.

The victory moves Oklahoma State to 18-12 overall and 6-11 in the Big 12, and gives the Cowboys two wins in their last three games after snapping a five-game losing streak. UCF, now 20-9 (9-8 Big 12), has dropped two straight.

Roy and Clary led a balanced offensive effort. Jaylen Curry and Christian Coleman each added 16 points, while the Cowboys shot 49% from the field (35-of-72) and 80% from the free throw line (32-of-40).

Themus Fulks led UCF with 22 points, while Riley Kugel added 18.

Late-game drama forces overtime

Advertisement

The final seconds of regulation were chaotic.

With 24 seconds remaining, Isaiah Coleman threw down a dunk to give Oklahoma State a 94-91 lead.

But UCF answered quickly when Chris Johnson hit a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left, tying the game at 94-94.

Oklahoma State had a chance to win it at the buzzer, but Jaylen Curry missed a shot, and John Bol blocked Roy’s attempt, sending the game to overtime.

Cowboys respond after tough loss

Advertisement

The Cowboys showed resilience after Saturday’s lopsided loss to Cincinnati.

The team traveled directly to Orlando following that defeat and was pushed through two intense practices by head coach Steve Lutz and the coaching staff.

The response was clear.

Led by Roy’s scoring and Clary’s clutch overtime performance, Oklahoma State delivered a gritty win and swept the season series against UCF

Advertisement





Source link

Continue Reading

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City police are investigating after a man was shot near Yukon

Published

on

Oklahoma City police are investigating after a man was shot near Yukon


Oklahoma City Police are investigating after a man was shot near Yukon Monday night.

The shooting happened near Northwest 10th Street and South Yukon Parkway near the border of Yukon and Oklahoma City.

Police are on the scene, and officials said the victim was transported to the hospital in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the hip.

OKCPD said they have at least one person in custody.

Advertisement

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

For more local news delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter by clicking here.



Source link

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending