Oklahoma Voter Turnout Lags

More than half of Oklahoma voters sat out Tuesday’s midterm election. ​Statewide turnout was 45.84%, according to unofficial results from the Oklahoma State Election Board. That’s a notable decline from 50.35% in 2022. ​All 77 counties saw their turnout percentage decline compared to four years ago. Voter turnout was lowest in Comanche County, home to Lawton, and rural southeastern Oklahoma, where some counties get most of their news from out-of-state sources. The drop-off was lowest in urban Oklahoma County, where the number of votes cast increased from 2022. However, turnout remained down, as the county has added about 26,000 new voters over the past four years. ​Oklahoma has historically had one of the worst voter participation rates in the U.S. That remained true this year, as just 37% of the state’s voting-eligible population cast a ballot, according to the University of Florida Election Lab.

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