Upcoming candidate filings set at Expo Center
Nov. 29—A candidate filing period opens next week for candidates for three McAlester City Council seats.
McAlester city offices open for candidate filings include the city council seats in Wards 1, 3 and 5.
Incumbents currently holding the offices up for election are Weldon Smith, Ward 1; Cliff House, Ward 3, and Billy Jack Boatright, Ward 5.
The candidate filing period extends from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 4 through Wednesday, Dec. 6, with the election set for Feb. 13.
Along with the McAlester City Council seats, the Dec. 4-6 candidate filing period will also be open for public school board seats in Pittsburg County.
Candidate filings for the city offices as well as the open school board seats will be at the Pittsburg County Election Board Office — which is temporarily located at the Southeast Expo Center.
That's because the regular Pittsburg County Election Board Office is closed due to water seeping across the floors during rainfall. Pittsburg County commissioners are awaiting further information on the costs of several proposed solutions to the problem.
"We are on the second floor of the Expo Center," said Pittsburg County Election Board Secretary Tonya Barnes of the board's temporary location.
She noted that once the candidates pick up their declaration of candidacy papers, they will have to get them notarized and then return the declaration of candidacy to the Pittsburg County Election Board Office.
That was relatively simple at the Election Board's regular offices at the Courthouse Annex adjacent to the Pittsburg County Courthouse, because there were several notary publics who worked in courthouse offices.
However, Barnes said no notary public will be available at the Expo Center.
Barnes said one option would be for candidates to download declaration of candidacy papers in advance which are available through the Oklahoma State Election Board's website, fill them out and get them notarized before they are brought to the Election Board office at the Expo Center.
While the election is set for Feb. 13, other election dates may also be needed.
If there are more than two candidates for a given seat and no candidate receives at least 50% plus one of the vote, the two candidates with the most votes will advance to the April 2 General Election.
As required by the McAlester City Charter, elections for city offices with odd-numbered wards — such as 1, 3 and 5 — are all held at the same time. Elections for offices in even numbered wards — such as 2, 4 and 6 — are also held together.
Since elections for each of the two groups are held in two-year cycles, elections for city council seats in Wards 2, 4 and 6 will be held in 2026.
To qualify for a city office during the Dec. 4-6 candidate filing period, a candidate must be a qualified elector of the city, must have resided in McAlester for at least two years and must have resided for at least one year in the ward for which they wish to file.
Candidates for McAlester city offices must be at least 25 years old.
A filing fee is not required and elections will be non-partisan, meaning candidates will have no political party designation and no party designation or emblem will be placed on the ballot.
