LOCAL & STATE
Kimberly Marsh
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Recount of Primary Votes Yielded No Major Changes
Following a Tulsa County Election Board hand recount of votes cast during the Aug. 27 Tulsa primary election, Monroe Nichols and Karen Keith remained the two top candidates to advance to the general election on Nov. 5.
Brent VanNorman, who was within 500 votes of Keith and less than 800 votes below Nichols, petitioned the Tulsa County Election Board Osage, Rogers, and Wagoner for recounts. All recounts were completed by Sept. 10, and the final vote count was certified, with 18,752 votes for Nichols and 18,458 votes for Keith, with a total ballot count of 55,611, with only minor changes.
The recount, which stretched over several days, was rare in elections in Tulsa or elsewhere in Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Eagle monitored the recount process closely as part of our effort to help provide transparency about the election process.
In a statement released Sept. 10, VanNorman said each candidate lost votes due to ballot errors, but not enough to make the difference. The VanNorman campaign also learned of several opportunities to strengthen election integrity, particularly regarding early voting. While continuing to inspect absentee envelopes, the campaign supported the verified outcome, calling it a transparent and accurate process.
Brent VanNorman said, “While the overall outcome didn’t change, the recount has played out fairly, and we stand by the results. Our campaign has been built on integrity and commitment to Tulsa’s future, and I’m proud of the hard work put in by everyone during the recount,”
“While this race has come to an end, our commitment to the city remains stronger than ever,” he added.
Tulsa County Election Board Secretary Gwen Freeman said this unprecedented effort was successfully completed by the deadline to have the ballots printed and in the mail to military personnel by Sept. 20. It was Tulsa County’s most extensive recount and engaged 48 precinct volunteers.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to once again demonstrate to the people of Tulsa County that Oklahoma’s election system is accurate,” she said.
Nichols said the process and result confirm faith and integrity in the election process. “I want to thank the Tulsa County Election Board for their professionalism, the volunteers who showed up to ensure every vote was counted, and my fellow candidates for their civility throughout this process.”
Keith echoed their sentiments, praising the County Election Board members, the process, and the volunteers who spent four work days on the recount. Keith said she is ready to move forward with the campaign, which recently resolved a challenge from the Oklahoma Democratic Party’s Central Committee. Party Chairman Alicia Andrews confirmed that the Central Committee revoked the Keith campaign’s access to the democratic database of voter information. Andrews had agreed to allow access to Keith’s democratic field representative, but after a 90-minute meeting, the committee reversed Andrews’ decision and revoked access entirely. The committee reportedly did not want to risk the database to Keith’s Republican campaign workers. Keith said the committee’s action does not disadvantage her in the race, but her team will have to go through extra steps and expenses to gather the same information.
The Tulsa County Election Board also certified the results of a recount in the City Council District 3 race, certifying 2,708 and confirming Jackie Dutton as the race winner. Opponent Susan Frederick requested the recount based on close margins. Judge Dawn Moody denied District 1 Council candidate Angela Chamber’s challenge to Incumbent Vanessa Hall Harper, alleging ballot irregularities. The judge dismissed the petition because neither Chambers nor an official representative for Chambers appeared in court for the petition hearing.
