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Back to HB 1865
Oklahoma Legislature· HB 1865Approved by Governor 05/22/2025

An act relating to elections, the official text

Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Oklahoma Legislature, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
1                   STATE OF OKLAHOMA

2            1st Session of the 60th Legislature (2025)

3 HOUSE BILL 1865               By: Roberts

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6                   AS INTRODUCED

7   An Act relating to elections; amending Section 1,

    Chapter 291, O.S.L. 2022 (26 O.S. Supp. 2024, Section

8   6-104.1), which relates to paper ballots; directing

    for ballots to be printed in advance of election;

9   permitting certain additional ballots be printed;

    clarifying does not apply to printing or marking of

10  ballots for certain persons; amending 26 O.S. 2021,

    Section 7-104, which relates to hours for voting;

11  clarifying applicability to county election board;

    directing that voter appear at assigned polling

12  place; prohibiting voting centers; clarifying voting

    centers; providing exception; clarifying subprecincts

13  are not prohibited; providing an effective date; and

    declaring an emergency.

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16 BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF OKLAHOMA:

17  SECTION 1.      AMENDATORY  Section 1, Chapter 291, O.S.L.

18 2022 (26 O.S. Supp. 2024, Section 6-104.1), is amended to read as

19 follows:

20  Section 6-104.1. A. All ballots used for any election shall be

21 printed on paper to ensure a fair and accurate count; provided, each

22 precinct polling place and in-person absentee voting location shall

23 provide a means for any voter who requires assistance by reason of

24 blindness, disability, or inability to read or write to cast a

    Req. No. 11688                                                 Page 1
1 ballot privately and independently, in a manner to be determined by

2 the Secretary of the State Election Board.

3   B. 1. Ballots for each election day precinct shall be printed

4 in advance of the date of the election. Provided, the Secretary of

5 the State Election Board may authorize the printing of additional

6 ballots on election day in the event of a ballot shortage or due to

7 an emergency or unforeseen circumstance as described in Section 22-

8 101 of this title.

9   2. Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit the printing or

10 marking of ballots for persons with blindness, disability, or

11 inability to read or write as provided in subsection A of this

12 section.

13  SECTION 2.        AMENDATORY  26 O.S. 2021, Section 7-104, is

14 amended to read as follows:

15  Section 7-104. A. At every Primary, Runoff Primary and General

16 Election and any other election conducted by a county election

17 board, each polling place in the state shall open at 7:00 a.m. and

18 shall remain open continuously until 7:00 p.m., and every registered

19 voter of a precinct who presents himself between said hours shall be

20 entitled to vote, as provided by law, provided further, all

21 qualified voters who are in line waiting to vote at 7:00 p.m. shall

22 be allowed to vote.

23  B. 1. A registered voter wishing to vote on election day shall

24 appear at the polling place for his or her assigned precinct.

    Req. No. 11688                                                 Page 2
1   2. Neither the State Election Board nor any county election

2 board shall utilize vote centers for voting on election day. For

3 the purposes of this section, "vote center" means a place where any

4 voter in the entire jurisdiction can vote on election day,

5 regardless of the voter's precinct assignment. Provided, an

6 exception to this requirement may be authorized for a county

7 election board by the Secretary of the State Election Board in the

8 event of an emergency as described in Section 22-101 of this title.

9 The emergency use of a countywide vote center must be limited to the

10 precincts directly impacted by the emergency.

11  3. Nothing in this subsection shall prohibit the use of

12 subprecincts as described in Section 3-119 of this title, nor shall

13 it prohibit the assignment of precinct officials to serve more than

14 one precinct, if authorized by law, if the precincts share the same

15 election day polling place.

16  C. If any provision of federal law specifies hours for voting

17 in federal elections, the Secretary of the State Election Board

18 shall direct the county election boards to allow voting in all

19 elections held on the same day as such federal elections during the

20 hours specified by federal law.

21  SECTION 3. This act shall become effective July 1, 2025.

22  SECTION 4. It being immediately necessary for the preservation

23 of the public peace, health or safety, an emergency is hereby

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    Req. No. 11688                                                  Page 3
1 declared to exist, by reason whereof this act shall take effect and

2 be in full force from and after its passage and approval.

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4   60-1-11688      MJ  12/13/24

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