Early Voting Is Thursday-Friday In Oklahoma City Council Runoff Election For Wards 1 And 3 On April 6

Press release from the City of Oklahoma City:

March 31, 2021

Early voting is Thursday and Friday in the April 6 runoff election for the Oklahoma City Council seats in Wards 1 and 3.

Early voting is 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days at your local county election board:

• Oklahoma County Election Board, 4201 N Lincoln Blvd., (405) 713-1515
• Cleveland County Election Board, 641 E Robinson Street (Suite 200) in Norman, (405) 366-0210
• Canadian County Election Board, 200 S Bickford Ave. in El Reno, (405) 422-2422

The nonpartisan election will decide who represents those Wards on the Council for the next four-year term.

The City Council has nine members: the Mayor, who is elected citywide, and one member from each of Oklahoma City’s eight Wards. They serve part-time at the head of the City’s Council-Manager form of government. The Mayor’s annual salary is $24,000, and each Council member’s annual salary is $12,000.

About the runoff

Candidates in the April 6 runoff, listed in the order in which they appear on the ballot, are:

Ward 1

• Shay Varnell
• Bradley Carter

Ward 3

• Jessica Martinez-Brooks
• Barbara Young

Winners take office April 13. Incumbent Councilwoman Nikki Nice was the only candidate who filed to run in Ward 7, and Ward 4 Councilman Todd Stone was re-elected with a majority victory in the Feb. 9 primary election. They will also begin new terms April 13.

Recent voter-approved amendments to the Oklahoma City Charter do not apply to the 2021 City Council election. The Oklahoma State Election Board’s certification of election results, and the Governor of Oklahoma’s formal acceptance of the City Charter amendments, had yet to occur before the Council called the election.

The 2021 election takes place under existing City ordinances, and federal and state law, like all recent City Council elections.

Voting information

All Oklahoma City voters in Wards 1 and 3 registered to vote at their current address by the March 12 deadline are eligible to vote in the April 6 runoff election. See a Ward map at okc.gov/WardMap.

Voters who have disabilities can find more information about voter assistance in Oklahoma at ok.gov/elections.

State law requires proof of identity to vote. Acceptable forms of ID are a voter ID card, driver’s license or another form of ID issued by the federal government, state government or federally recognized tribal government. Voters may also cast a provisional ballot by proving their identity with a signed, sworn affidavit, which is available at the polling station.

Regular voting is 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. April 6 at your usual polling location. Find your polling location on your voter ID card, or using the state Election Board’s OK Voter Portal at oklahoma.gov/elections/ovp.

EMBARK bus and OKC Streetcar service will be free on Election Day to help get voters to the polls. Visit embarkok.com or okcstreetcar.com to plan your trip.

This press release was produced by the City of Oklahoma City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.