State Board of Elections and voters speak out about election integrity in Oklahoma in light of presidential election

COMANCHE, Okla. (KSWO) – What many are calling the most important election in United States history is right around the corner.

However, many have questioned the integrity of the election process, especially in Comanche County, after previous elections. There was an error on the Republican sheriff’s primary ballot.

“Don’t get upset about something like this,” said Paul Ziriax, secretary of the state Board of Elections. “If someone is trying to use this to convince you not to vote, they’re probably not a very nice person.”

Ziriax said people should trust Oklahoma’s election process because there are many systems in place to catch these errors and reassure voters.

“First, post-election audits are conducted to confirm that voting machines accurately counted ballots. The Legislature has created mechanisms to allow one candidate to challenge the election results if they fear a recount will be necessary or if they fear there were any irregularities. If potential crimes have been committed, the county elections clerk will report it to law enforcement so it can be investigated,” Ziriax said.

As early voting began, several Comanche County voters spoke out about whether they were concerned about election security.

“It doesn’t bother me that much, but I think it does for a lot of people,” said Oklahoma voter Michelle Johnson. “As long as people are honest, moral and their principles are right, I think everything should go smoothly for everyone. I think as long as people feel like they’re sticking to their principles in life, I think everyone will be fine.”

“There are too many fake votes coming in. Sneaking behind the scenes and it’s just not right,” said Clyde Long, another voter.

“If it’s important for a person to feel like they want to burn everything down, then it should be very important for the citizens of the United States to make a huge effort to get there and vote,” Vera Hoskin added.

Ziriax said elections in Oklahoma are nearly 100% accurate most of the time, and while mistakes happen, you can’t discredit the majority of people who do the right thing.