With the election being less than 24 hours away, many Oklahomans are spending time today digging their voter registration card out of the junk drawer and googling State Question 793 to figure out exactly what Walmart wants with our eyeballs. However, some Oklahomans will be staying away from the polls tomorrow not because they don’t want to participate, but because sometimes it’s a lot harder to cast your vote in Oklahoma than in other states. And that ain’t right.
Let’s start with what it takes to actually register to vote in Oklahoma. Our state's voting laws require Oklahomans to register to vote or update their polling location address at least 25 days before an election. Which is kind of back asswards not only because 16 other states allow same day voter registration, but also I can’t think of a single good reason not to allow people to register to vote on the same day as the election. I mean, unless you’re wanting a more conservative vote because:
1. College kids are more likely to vote democratic, but are probably registered to vote at their permanent addresses in their hometowns. Because come on, college kids can barely remember “liquor before beer, you’re in the clear.” What makes you think they’re going to remember to update their voter registration nearly a month before the election?
2. Same day registration increases voter turnout in general. For those who are satisfied with the status quo in our government, this can be pretty damn scary.
On top of the registration time line deterring people from voting, the way Oklahomans register is pretty archaic and inefficient. Though online voter registration was legalized in our state in 2015, as of this year Oklahoma has yet to implement it. It’s almost like our lawmakers and government officials really don’t give a sh*t about making it easier for citizens to exercise their political rights.