Monday, Dec. 4 is the start of school board candidate filing in Okmulgee County. All ten county school districts will have seats open for the Feb. 7 election.
Okmulgee County election board secretary Ashley Carnes said all candidates must submit their Declaration of Candidacy to the Okmulgee County Election Board from Dec. 4 through Dec. 6. between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Candidate filing packets are available on the State Election Board website at https://oklahoma.gov/elections/candidates/candidate-filing.html and at the Okmulgee County Election Board office.
In addition to the Declaration of Candidacy, candidates must also submit a Voter Registration Verification Form, which can be obtained from the County Election Board or by logging into the OK Voter Portal at https://oklahoma.gov/elections/ovp.html. Information on the Voter Registration Verification Form must match the information provided on the Declaration of Candidacy.
Any contests of candidacy must be filed no later than Friday, Dec. 8 by 5 p.m. “Those can only be filed by another candidate for that office, she said. All protests must be filed with her office.
If more than two candidates file for the same Board of Education seat, a Primary Election will be held on Tuesday, February 13, 2024. If one candidate receives more than 50% of the votes, that candidate will be named the elected official. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the votes, the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes will vie for the seat during the Board of Education General Election on Tuesday, April 2, 2024. If only two candidates file for the same Board of Education seat, those two candidates’ names will appear on the General Election ballot in April.
Declarations of Candidacy will be accepted for the following offices:
Beggs School District, Office No. 4
Dewar School District, Office No. 4
Green Country Tech Center, Office No. 2
Henryetta School District, Office No. 4, and Office No. 2 (3-year unexpired term)
Morris School District, Office No. 4
Okmulgee School District, Office No. 4
Preston School District, Office No. 4
Schulter School District, Office No. 4
Twin Hills School District, Office No. 2
Wilson School District, Office No. 4 and Office No. 3 (4-year unexpired term)