Oklahoma 2025 Regular Session

Oklahoma Senate Bill SB129 Latest Draft

Bill / Introduced Version Filed 12/27/2024

                             
 
 
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STATE OF OKLAHOMA 
 
1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025) 
 
SENATE BILL 129 	By: Kirt 
 
 
 
 
 
AS INTRODUCED 
 
An Act relating to absentee voting; amending 26 O.S. 
2021, Section 14-115.4, which relates to in -person 
absentee voting; increasing number of days for in-
person absentee voting; updating statutory language; 
and providing an effective date . 
 
 
 
 
 
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA: 
SECTION 1.     AMENDATORY     26 O.S. 2021, Section 14 -115.4, is 
amended to read as follows: 
Section 14-115.4.  A.  1.  A registered voter may apply for an 
in-person absentee ballot at a location designated by the secretary 
of the county election board from : 
a. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the Thursday and Friday fourteen 
calendar days immediately preceding any election 
conducted by a county election board , 
b. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the Saturday immediately preceding 
a General Election, Primary Election, Runoff Primary 
Election or Presidential Preferential Primary Election   
 
 
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as described in Sections 1-101, 1-102, 1-103 and 20-
101 of this title, and 
c. 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on the Wednesday immediately 
preceding a General Election as described in Section 
1-101 of this title. 
2.  As part of the application for an in -person absentee ballot 
such registered voter shall swear or affirm that the voter has not 
voted a regular mail absentee ballot and that the voter will not 
vote at the regular polling place in the election for which the in -
person absentee ballot is requested. 
3.  The secretary of the cou nty election board in counties with 
twenty-five thousand (25,000) or more regi stered voters, or with an 
area in excess of one thousand five hundred (1,500) square miles, 
may designate more than one location as an in -person absentee 
polling place for an ele ction, subject to the approval of and 
pursuant to the procedures prescribed by the Secretary of the State 
Election Board. 
B.  1.  The voter also shall provide proof of identity as 
defined in Section 7 -114 of this title.  If the voter declines to or 
is unable to produce proof of identity, the voter may sign a 
statement under oath, in a form approved by the Secretary of the 
State Election Board, swearing or affirming that the person is the 
person identified on the precinct registry, and shall be allowed to   
 
 
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cast a provisional ballot as provided in Section 7 -116.1 of this 
title. 
2.  False swearing or affirming under oath shall be punishable 
as a felony as provided in Section 16 -103 of this title, and the 
penalty shall be distinctly set forth on the face of the s tatement. 
C.  One or more absentee voting boards shall be on duty at the 
in-person absentee polling place on the days and during the hours 
set forth in subsection A of this section.  If the secretary of a 
county election board receives an application from a registered 
voter requesting to vote by in -person absentee ballot , the secretary 
shall cause to be implemented the following procedures: 
1.  An absentee voting board shall provide to each registered 
voter who applies for an in -person absentee ballot appro priate 
ballots and materials as may be necessary to vote; 
2.  The voter must s ign an in-person absentee voter record, and 
the signature of the voter on such record must be certified by both 
members of the absentee voting board, except that the secretary of 
the county election board and one other member of the absentee 
voting board may certify the signature of another member of the 
absentee voting board; 
3.  The voter must mark the ballots of the voter in the manner 
provided by law in the presence of the abs entee voting board, but in 
such a manner as to make it impossible for any pers on other than the 
voter to ascertain how such ballots are marked.  Insofar as is   
 
 
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possible, the voting procedure shall be the same as if the voter 
were casting a vote in person at a precinct; 
4.  The voter shall then deposit the ballot in a voting device 
designated for in-person absentee voting by the secretary of the 
county election board; 
5.  When the in-person polling place is closed on each day of 
in-person absentee voting , the in-person absentee voting board 
shall, without obtaining a printout of result s, remove the 
electronic results storage media from the voting device and seal 
ballots counted that day in a transfer case which shall be secured 
by the sheriff of the county in the same manner as provided in 
Section 8-110 of this title.  The electronic results storage media 
shall be sealed in a container prescribed by the Secretary of the 
State Election Board.  The sheriff shall secure the sealed 
electronic results storage media container and return it to the in -
person absentee voting board no later than 7 :45 a.m. on the next day 
of in-person absentee voting or to the secretary of the county 
election board at the time of the county election board meeting to 
count absentee ballots on election day; and 
6.  If there is a malfunction in such a way that the electronic 
results storage media used for in -person absentee voting will not 
function, the sheriff is authorized to return the transfer cases 
containing in-person absentee ballots to the county election board 
to be recounted as provided in Section 7 -134.1 of this title.   
 
 
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SECTION 2.  This act shall become effective January 1, 2026. 
 
60-1-225 TEK 12/27/2024 1:40:01 PM