Election emergency impacts April 7 elections in Kay County

An election emergency declaration issued by the State Election Board Secretary on March 18 will impact elections scheduled for April 7 in Kay County, the County Election Board Secretary confirmed today.

The election emergency allowed all entities, including those with statutory school board member elections, to reschedule their April 7 elections to another date allowed by law. The declaration was issued in response to the current COVID-19 health crisis, which has resulted in federal, state, and local restrictions.

County Election Board Secretary Cheryl Howard said the following elections have been postponed and rescheduled for June 30, 2020:

• Blackwell Municipal Mayor Election
• Blackwell School District I-45, Board Member
• Kildare School District C-50, Board Member
• Newkirk Municipal Commissioner

Absentee ballots issued for the April 7 election are no longer valid and should be destroyed.

Voters who were issued an absentee ballot for the April 7 election will be issued a new ballot for the June 30 election, if they are currently signed up to receive absentee ballots for all elections in which they are eligible to vote for the 2020 election year.

Voters who applied for an absentee ballot for the April 7 election only will need to submit a new absentee ballot request for the June 30 election in order to vote in the rescheduled elections. Absentee ballots can be requested online using the OK Voter Portal at https://www.ok.gov/elections/OVP.html. Applications can also be downloaded at https://www.ok.gov/elections/Voter_Info/Absentee_Voting/index.html.

While the Kay County Courthouse remains closed to the public, the Kay County Election Board will continue to conduct business as usual by phone, email, and mail. Business hours may be modified due to the unusual circumstances, but calls and emails will be returned in a timely manner. Voters who need to conduct business in person can call or email the County Election Board to make special arrangements. Voters can also visit the Oklahoma State Election Board website at elections.ok.gov for more information.

The Kay County Election Board is located at 201 S. Main St. in Newkirk. For more information, contact the County Election Board at 580-362-2130 OR [email protected].