The Choctaw Nation efforts to encourage and educate voters to the polls
(KXII) -We’re just a little more than a month away from the general midterm elections and the Choctaw Nation is gearing up with a public proclamation.
Gary Batton, Choctaw Chief of Oklahoma said “it’s your right, it’s your privilege, it’s your responsibility, get out and vote.”
The midterm general elections are November 8.
“I know right now, there’s a, seems like in this world, we’re very divided between the left side and the right side, there’s a lot of voter fatigue,” Chief Batton said.
Which led Chief Batton to sign a proclamation establishing the first week of October, in an even-numbered year, “Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma Voter Registration and Voter Education Week”
“It’s what our code-talker fought for, it’s what our veterans fought for so that we can get out and vote and get the right people in office that holds our values and our traditions,” said Chief Batton.
The Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma has started holding voter registration events across the reservations for all to attend.
“A lot of our locations when we’re doing these voter registration drives, we’re going to have educational material for voter to take with them so they can read and be educated on the issues and the people that are running,” said Joshua Riley, Senior Federal Government Relations Strategist.
The deadline to register to vote in Texas is October 11, but in Oklahoma, “October 14th is the last day to register to vote,” Chief Batton said.
Unlike how Texas handles absentee ballots, in Oklahoma it’s simply considered part of early voting.
“October 24th is the deadline for oklahoma voters to request an absentee ballot, they have to make that request before 5 p.m, that ballot has to be in the mail and postmarked before November 7th and then the last day to turn that in person would be on election day,” Riley added.
Voter Registration Locations:
- Durant Clinic: 1801 Chukka Hina, Durant, OK 74701 (voter registration from 8 a.m.-4 p.m. in the lobby, Monday through Friday, October 3-7, 2022)
- Hugo CNO Office Building: 304 Chahta Cir, Hugo, OK 74743 (voter registration from 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 4, 2022 in upstairs conference room)
- McAlester Clinic: 1127 S George Nigh Expy, McAlester, OK 74501 (voter registration on Tuesday, October 4)
- Broken Bow Casino: 1790 S Park Dr., Broken Bow, OK 74728 (voter registration from Tuesday October 4– 3 p.m.-4 p.m. and Wednesday October 5- 6 a.m.-7 a.m.)
- Idabel Casino: 1425 SE Washington St., Idabel, OK 74745 (voter registration from Tuesday October 4– 3 p.m.-4 p.m. and Wednesday October 5 – 6 a.m.-7 a.m.)
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