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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.

Whole Hawg Days on the horizon
A: Main, news
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Get ready for another fun-filled weekend as the 41st Annual Whole Hawg Arts & Crafts Festival prepares to get underway, Friday and Saturday, July 25-26. The festival will consist of Arts & Crafts, a r...
A: Main, news
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The rodeo is woven into the fabric of Eufaula history. Long before the annual rodeo was held at the fairgrounds, there were rodeos in an area of the city now a part of the cove where there are softbal...
A: Main, news
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As more residents and property owners take on home improvement projects, the City of Eufaula is reminding the public of a key first step: check with the City before you begin. Whether you   are buildi...
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A: Main, news
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Eufaula didn’t have to look far for its first full-time fire chief. Checotah Fire Chief Greg Carmack has been offered the job, replacing volunteer Fire Chief Chad French. The decision to hire someone ...
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A: Main, news
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When Bill Duvall was called to meet His Maker in the Great Round Up in the sky this past Sunday, Checotah lost one of its best storytellers and legendary cowboys ever. Thankfully his legacy will live ...
A: Main, news
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Commissioners pass moratorium
July 16, 2025
TransAlta of Canada announced six months ago that it no longer planned to develop a wind turbine farm in McIntosh County. However, county commissioners wanted to make sure TransAlta or any other wind ...
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Auditions for The Dancing Princesses open to all
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If you’ve ever thought acting on stage might be fun, here’s your chance to find out. The Eufaula Performing and Arts Club is opening auditions for their next play to any would-be actor ages 10 and up....
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McIntosh County GOP News
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July 16, 2025
Our potluck at the last meeting was so much fun and we had a fabulous turnout -- thank you to all of McIntosh County for supporting the Republican Party. We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. It w...
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Man facing obscenity charges
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Ryan Troy Dick, 52-year-old Sallisaw resident, is being held in the McIntosh County Jail pending his preliminary hearing on charges related to indecent photographs and videos sent to a former girlfrie...
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Juvenile dies following accident near Longtown
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The Oklahoma Highway Patrol reports that a juvenile, whose name and age are being withheld, was fatally injured in a single-vehicle accident that took place at about 10:30 p.m. on July 4. The deceased...
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