Oklahoma voters in 26 counties head to the polls Tuesday to cast their ballots on a variety of local measures.
To find your polling location and hours, head to the Oklahoma Voter Portal.
El Reno to vote for next mayor
El Reno residents will vote on whether to re-elect incumbent Mayor Steve Jensen for another term or instead select challenger Phillip Church.
Jensen has led El Reno through a time of growth. Earlier this year, city officials voted to annex sections east of the city, despite concerns from residents and landowners. Jensen framed the move as the only alternative to annexation by Oklahoma City or Yukon.
Church is a realtor running as a political outsider. On Facebook, he explains that one of his primary platforms is property owners' rights. He highlights a recent city council decision to demolish a building that violated code after the owner asked for more time to comply.
The winner of the election will serve a 3-year term in office.
Choctaw residents see two local questions
In the City of Choctaw, voters will decide on two questions.
The first proposition asks whether term limits should be implemented for the city council and mayor. The city doesn't currently have them, but if the proposition passes, any given person would be capped at three four-year terms in each office.
The second proposition asks about selling one of the city's parks, which the proposition said doesn't see much use. The money made from the sale of Optimist Park would fund improvements at two other local parks.
Several municipalities ask for tax increases and extensions
In cities across the state, residents can decide on tax questions.
Voters in Carmen — located 35 miles northwest of Enid — will decide whether to raise the town's sales tax rate from 3% to 3.5%. If passed, the majority of tax dollars generated from the increase would be allocated to general government funds, with the remaining 0.25% to be used for the fire department.
Residents of the town with a population of just shy of 400 have voiced strong reactions to the proposal on Facebook. Those in favor express a willingness to spend extra money for projects they want to see, while opposition voices fear the town isn't managing its money properly.
Voters in Edmond are being asked to renew two separate sales taxes the city currently uses. The first is a one-cent tax for the city's general fund, which the city says has been active since 1977. The second is a one-half-cent tax for capital improvements.
In Midwest City, a hotel tax increase will be on the ballot. The measure has been popular statewide recently, with Oklahoma City voters passing a similar one last year. If approved, the Midwest City proposal will bring the rate from 5% to 9.25%.
School districts seek varying degrees of funding
Voters in several school districts can also vote on school bond proposals.
A proposal in Minco seeks to fund new school buses months after one of the district's vehicles flipped upside down.
In September, a bus was carrying members of the high school's softball team back from a game in Anadarko when it struck a deer and crashed. Several injuries resulted from the incident, but none were fatal.
According to News9, the district's school board had voted just hours earlier to call for an election on bus funds. The $900,000 proposition will not raise taxes.
In Newcastle, a $10.8 million bond proposal would not increase taxes. Instead, it would rely on the city's growth to maintain the tax rate of a previous bond. If approved, the proposal would fund an additional elementary school and improvements to the track and stadium.
A bond proposal in the southeast Oklahoma city of Antlers seeks to fund a new middle school, as the current one suffers from leaks. The nearly $8 million proposal would raise property taxes in the area by 15%.
School bonds must earn approval from at least 60% of voters to pass.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
