Arduous Oklahoma absentee process makes elections more inaccessible

News coverage is dominated by the results, while the electoral process remains overlooked. In the wake of the 2026 midterms, conversations about the election tend to center around the results and what they mean for the future of American politics. While the results deserve scrutiny, so does the process through which those results are decided. In Oklahoma, the absentee voting is a cumbersome process that has made voting less accessible for residents. Any democratic form of government values the participation of its citizens in the electoral system, and Oklahoma’s absentee process raises an important question: Why does exercising a basic civic duty have to be so difficult? Absentee ballots provide citizens who cannot vote in person with an essential alternative. Still, the process itself comes with its own set of obstacles. According to the National Conference of State Legislators, Oklahoma is one of three states that requires absentee ballots be notarized before they are mailed.

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