Early Voting For Nov. 5 General Election Begins Wednesday
Early voting" – officially known as in-person absentee voting – for the Nov. 5th General Election begins Wednesday in Oklahoma.
State Board Election Secretary Paul Ziriax said Oklahomans have an extra day of early voting this time.
"Something that we didn't have in 2020 that we have now is that the legislature has added an extra day of early voting or in-person absentee voting for general elections. So, it actually starts on a Wednesday now," Ziriax said during an interview on KGOU's Capitol Insider.
Oklahoma's Early Voting Schedule
Wednesday, Oct. 30: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m
Thursday, Oct. 31: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m
Friday, Nov. 1: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m
Saturday, Nov. 2: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
No excuse is needed to vote early, but voters must provide proof of identity when checking in at their early voting site.
The State Election Board reminds voters that early voting sites are not the same as polling places.
Each county has at least one early voting site; however, some counties may have more than one location.
A list of early voting locations is available on the State Election Board website.
Those who wish to vote early, must do so in the county where they are registered to vote.
The State Election Board recommends that voters view or download a sample ballot before heading out to their voting location. Sample ballots can be found using the OK Voter Portal.
Winner Of Oklahoma Corporation Commission Race Replaces Bob Anthony
Oklahomans will choose between three candidates for a seat on the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, which regulates utilities and the oil and gas industry.
The seat is left vacant for the first time in more than three decades.
Oklahoma formed its Corporation Commission the same year it became a state — 1907. Bob Anthony has served on the commission for nearly one-third of the time since then.
But now he’s term-limited, and voters will choose between three candidates to take his place.
Republican Brian Bingman has served in Sapulpa municipal government and both chambers of the state legislature. He resigned from dual positions in Gov. Kevin Stitt’s cabinet last year to run for Corporation Commission and promises to fight what he calls the left’s attacks on energy companies.
Democrat Harold Spradling considers himself a pre-Trump conservative who believes Oklahoma utilities should be more closely regulated.
Libertarian and former Choctaw City Councilman Chad Williams favors performance-based regulation for utilities. He said he’d also like to see the Corporation Commission deregulate some of the older technologies under its governance, like cotton gins and landlines.
Epic Charter Schools Announces Layoffs, Pay Cuts Amid Financial Challenges
Epic Charter Schools is laying off staff and making pay cuts amid financial challenges.
The reorganization, outlined to staff in an email Monday, includes layoffs, base pay adjustments and a revised minimum teacher salary—set to drop from $60,000 to $50,000 for teachers with rosters smaller than 28 starting Friday, Nov. 1.
Epic first announced the adjustments in an email to staff last week saying it was necessary amid a decline in enrollment.
“Epic is currently experiencing some financial challenges due to student enrollment numbers not meeting our anticipated growth," wrote Superintendent Bart Banfield. "Difficult decisions have to be made to meet the challenge head on."
The email went on to say that HR would be reaching out to those affected by the cuts.
Epic Charter Schools said impacted teachers will receive amended contracts, which must be signed to continue employment.
ECS has not said how many positions will be affected by the layoffs.
Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation Scientists To Study Exercise’s Role In Aging
Two scientists from the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) are studying how exercise can combat aging through a $7.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Benjamin Miller and Sue Bodine are collaborating with researchers from the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition and the University of Florida over the next five years to create a model that can predict what factors determine whether someone responds to exercise.
The study will involve two phases and nearly 200 people 60 and older who don’t exercise regularly.
Participants will undergo 12 weeks of supervised strength and endurance training at OMRF after their muscle mass and cardiovascular fitness are tested.
“It’s a well-known phenomenon that if you give a group of people the same exercise regimen, many of them will make considerable, measurable improvements, but some don’t change much, if at all,” Miller, the G.T. Blankenship Chair in Aging Research at OMRF, said in a press release.
In Phase 2, the team will increase the training intensity for those who showed little or no improvement. Those who experienced gains will either continue at the same pace for another 10 weeks or be released.
They hope to identify ways exercise can be tailored to different people so everyone can respond positively to it.
Miller said he would not be surprised if the study’s results confirm that regular workouts can protect against age-related diseases.
“It’s well established that diseases accumulate in aging adults, but what if we could slow the aging process to reduce or prevent the onset of those diseases?” Miller said. “No pill has more potential to do that than exercise.”
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