Candidate filing deadline nears; voters urged to prepare

Skyler Hammons |, Tahlequah Daily Press, Okla.
·2 min read

Mar. 25—Deadlines for candidate filings and the time to change political affiliations is drawing near for Cherokee County residents.

Tiffany Rozell, secretary of the Cherokee County Election Board, said candidate filings will be April 3-5 for District 2 county commissioner, sheriff, court clerk, and county clerk positions.

The candidate filing applications can be downloaded at https://oklahoma.gov/elections/candidates/candidate-filing.html, and the completed form can then be brought to the election board, along with $300 for the filing fee. A contest period for these filings will be April 8-9, with it costing $250 to answer or file. The contest form will have to be filled out at the election board office.

There will be no official determination of who will run for the positions, until the candidate filing deadline.

"We've heard people talk that they are going to file or that they heard people are going to file, but until they actually file, you never know," Rozell said. "People can change their mind at the last minute."

The elections will take place June 18, with early voting being available a few days prior — June 13-15. Voting on June 13-14 can be done from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. and from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. June 15.

The election will be a primary, which means voters can only cast their ballot for their party's candidate. If there are only Republican candidates who have filed for a position, then only those in that party can vote. Democrats do allow independent individuals to vote in their primaries, but Libertarians, like Republicans, have a closed primary.

March 31 is the deadline for changing political affiliation, and those can't be adjusted again until Sept. 1. Those wanting to switch parties can access the application at https://oklahoma.gov/elections/voter-registration/voter-registration-changes.html.

Rozell said those who aren't sure where they can vote should go to the voter portal at okvoterportal.okelections.us.

Voters who have questions or concerns should contact the Cherokee County Election Board at 918-456-2261 or cherokeecounty@elections.ok.gov.

The County Election Board is at 914 S. College Ave. Office hours are 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.