Election laws in Oklahoma change just about every year, thanks to state lawmakers. At a poll worker training in Payne County last week, election officials offered reminders of their support for precinct volunteers.
Payne County Election Board Secretary Courtney Callison said in addition to election days being long and repetitive, updates in statutes can make them nerve-racking for some poll workers. So, there is some grace when they make minor mistakes.“Most things are fixable if they report them immediately,” Callison said.
It’s when hiccups in the process – caused by a poll worker or not – aren’t reported, that more serious issues arise. Election result contests always end up in court, meaning poll workers could be summoned by a judge and held responsible if they made a mistake big enough to alter the results.
That happened after the August 27 primary runoff election, when the Republican Comanche County Sheriff race was contested by the local district attorney following reports of poll workers handing GOP ballots to a handful of registered Democrats and Independents by mistake.
The case was ultimately dismissed because the district attorney couldn’t provide evidence of enough result-altering mistakes to constitute a delay in certifying the election. But not before the county election, officials and poll workers were subpoenaed for information that corroborated their version of events.
Callison says election board teams across the state will be available to support poll workers and answer questions anytime on election day.
She said that poll workers shouldn’t think twice to call for help if a problem arises.
“We will be in the office the whole time,” she said.
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