logo
Login Subscribe
Google Play App Store
  • News
    • Obituaries
    • Lifestyle
    • Opinions
  • Sports
  • E-edition
  • Calendar
  • Archives
  • Contact
    • Contact Us
    • Advertisers
    • Form Submission
    • About Us
    • News
      • Obituaries
      • Lifestyle
      • Opinions
    • Sports
    • E-edition
    • Calendar
    • Archives
    • Contact
      • Contact Us
      • Advertisers
      • Form Submission
      • About Us
Bill to require no-excuse absentee voting advances
news
March 5, 2025
Bill to require no-excuse absentee voting advances
By KEATON ROSS OKLAHOMA WATCH

A proposal to end noexcuse absentee voting in Oklahoma narrowly advanced 4-3 through the House Elections and Ethics Committee last week. Critics fear the measure could discourage voter participation and fuel election fraud paranoia.

House Bill 1515 by Rep. Molly Jenkins, RCoyle, requires voters to certify why they’re unable to vote in-person on election day or during early voting. Acceptable excuses include being 75 or older, travel, work and military service.

Jenkins said she could not cite an example of someone abusing the absentee voting system. She said she did not foresee a need for election officials to deny an application or further investigate why someone wishes to vote absentee.

“The goal of this is to strengthen the integrity of the election,” Jenkins told the committee. “When a person has to list a reason, it gives them pause to think about what they’re doing.”

Rep. Mickey Dollens, D-Oklahoma City, criticized the proposal, arguing that the state doesn’t survey residents on why they’d like to purchase a firearm or attend a religious institution.

“No fundamental right in the U.S. requires citizens to justify why they’re exercising it,” Dollens wrote on X.

Two Republicans, Reps. Denise Crosswhite Hader and Clay Staires, joined Dollens in voting no against the bill. It was tied 3-3 in committee, but Speaker Pro Tempore Anthony Moore voted yes to break the tie. It’s now eligible to be considered in a House oversight committee, where it faces a March 6 deadline to continue on in the legislative process.

Several other notable election bills have advanced during the first three weeks of the legislative session, including:

• House Bill 2106 by Mike Osburn, R-Edmond: Reduces the number of election dates, setting four to five dates in odd-numbered years and seven to eight dates in even-numbered years. Senate Pro Tem Lonnie Paxton, R-Tuttle, is running a similar bill in the upper chamber.

• House Bill 1151 by Chris Banning, R-Bixby: Aligns school board elections with general and primary election dates.

• Senate Bill 890 by Julie Daniels, R-Bartlesville: Requires local and municipal candidates to file campaign finance reports with the Ethics Commission.

School Board Association honors Pippenger, Madewell
A: Main, news
School Board Association honors Pippenger, Madewell
September 17, 2025
OKLAHOMA CITY - Eufaula School Board President Jeff Pippenger and Checotah School Superintendent Monte Madewell were honored for their contribution to education during the annual Education Leadership ...
A: Main, news
Brace yourself for traffic disruptions
September 17, 2025
The Oklahoma Department of Transportation will begin its long-awaited street project on Main Street (SH 9) in downtown Eufaula next week. An ODOT spokesman said traffic control will begin Monday, Sept...
A: Main, news
McIntosh is Candidate for 2025 Miss Indian Oklahoma
September 17, 2025
Miss Janaya McIntosh of Eufaula is a candidate for the upcoming 2025 Miss Indian Oklahoma pageant. The Oklahoma Federation of Indian Women (OFIW) pageants offer young Native American women a chance to...
A: Main, news
Ford holding food drive
September 17, 2025
Ford dealers around the world are joining together to conduct the World’s Largest Ford Dealer Food Drive, now through Sept. 25. The local dealership where you may drop off food is Sam Wampler’s Freedo...
A: Main, news
LEA 2025 Golf Tournament Sept. 26
September 17, 2025
The 2025 Lake Eufaula Association Golf Tournament is just a week away, to be held Friday Sept. 26 at Arrowhead Golf Course, 3657 Main Park Rd., Canadian. Registration is at 8 a.m., shotgun start is at...
A: Main, news
POW/MIA Ceremony is Friday
September 17, 2025
On Friday, Sept. 19 the VFW Post 8798 Auxiliary will host a dinner in honor of soldiers who have not returned home from battle. The event will begin at 6 p.m. in the Post dining room on SH 9 east.
ePaper
google_play
app_store
Editor Picks
A: Main, news
Lake Eufaula Out of Darkness Walk this Saturday
September 17, 2025
Don’t miss the Lake Eufaula Out of Darkness Walk this Saturday, September 20. Come walk and show your support as locals bring awareness to suicide and how you can prevent it. “Being able to see the wa...
A: Main, news
Flag exchange drive
September 17, 2025
VFW Auxiliary 8798 would like to help you properly dispose of your worn out flags. We will exchange your worn 3x5 United States American Flag for a brand new one. Dates will be shared over the upcomin...
A: Main, news
Tribal Town Spelling Bee Sept. 27
September 17, 2025
The Eufaula-Canadian Tribal Town and the MCN Language Preservation Program will host the 10th annual Mvskoke Language Spelling Bee Competition on Sept. 27 beginning at 10 a.m. at the Eufaula Indian Co...
A: Main, news
Suspect awaits sanity decision in Minner case
By MICHAEL BARNES 
September 17, 2025
When a June 10 headline shook the community—Selby Minner, beloved blues musician and cultural icon, found dead—the shock reverberated through Rentiesville and far beyond. The one arrested for her murd...
Oklahoma Farm Bureau hosts 4th Annual Capitol Camp
news
Oklahoma Farm Bureau hosts 4th Annual Capitol Camp
By LaDonna Rhodes Staff Writer 
September 17, 2025
117 FFA and 4-H students from across the state convened at the Oklahoma State Capitol for the Oklahoma Farm Bureau’s 4th Annual Capitol Camp held Sept. 3 – 4. The camp was an immersive twoday experien...
Facebook

THE EUFAULA INDIAN JOURNAL
100 N. 2nd Street
Eufaula, OK 74432

(918) 689-2191

This site complies with ADA requirements

© 2023 THE EUFAULA INDIAN JOURNAL

  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Accessibility Policy