Candidate filings begin April 3 for county, state, federal offices

James Beaty, McAlester News-Capital, Okla.
·3 min read

Apr. 3—A three day candidate filing period for county, state and federal offices begins Wednesday April 3 and extends through Friday, April 5.

Candidates for Pittsburg County offices will file at the Pittsburg County Election Board's new offices at 7 E. Chickasaw Ave., between S. Main Street and S. Second Street.

Those filing for state and federal offices file with the State Election Board Secretary's Office at 2300 N. Lincoln Boulevard in Oklahoma City. All Election Board offices are set to remain open from 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. for each day of the candidate filing period.

Pittsburg County offices up for election for four-year terms include:

—Pittsburg County sheriff, currently held by Chris Morris.

—Pittsburg County clerk, currently held by Hope Trammell.

—Pittsburg County court clerk, currently held by Pam Smith.

—District 2 Pittsburg County commissioner's seat, left open after Kevin Smith recently retired from the office. The office is currently represented by District 2 Chief Deputy Sandra Crenshaw.

—Pittsburg County assessor, left open for an unexpired term following the resignation of Michelle Fields in January. The assessor's office is currently operated by Interim Assessor Cathy Ridenour, who was appointed to the post by Pittsburg County commissioners.

Candidates filing for county offices must pay a $300 filing fee, said Pittsburg County Election Board Secretary Tonya Barnes. Payment must be in the form of a cashiers check or a certified check and be made out to the secretary of the County Election Board.

Filing packets for county offices can be picked up in person at the Pittsburg County Election Board office or can be downloaded from the State Election Board website. Candidates for state offices can also be downloaded from the State Election Board's website.

Something new that's required this year is a Voter Registration Verification Form, required to prove a candidate is a registered voter.

"They can get it here," Barnes said. "We can print it out for them."

It can also be obtained through the OK Voter Portal, Barnes said.

Both the District 17 state representative's post held by Jim Grego, R-Wilburton, and the District 18 state representative's post held by David Smith, R-Arpelar, are up for election for two-year terms, along with all seats in the state House of Representatives.

Also, the District 7 State Senate seat currently held by Warren Hamilton, R-McCurtain, is up for election for a four-year term.

At the federal level, the Oklahoma District 2 U.S. House seat currently held by Josh Brecheen, whose district includes McAlester and Pittsburg County, is up for election for a two-year term this year, along with all other seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Filing for state offices will be held on the ground floor at the State Capitol. Candidate filing packets are available through the State Election Board website or can be picked up in-person at election board offices.

Oklahoma State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax released the following URL Guide:

—County Election Board: https://oklahoma.gov/elections/about-us/county-election-boards.html

—Candidate Filing Packets: https://oklahoma.gov/elections/candidates/2024-candidate-filing-information.html

—OK Voter Portal: https://oklahoma.gov/elections/ovp.html

—2024 Candidate Filing Page: https://oklahoma.gov/elections/candidates/2024-candidate-filing-information.html

—State Election Board: https://oklahoma.gov/elections/about-us/contact-us.html