From Demos

Advocates Praise Oklahoma’s Progress Adding Thousands of Voters to Rolls During Three-Year Settlement

NEW YORK, WASHINGTON and OKLAHOMA CITY – Voting rights advocates are praising important progress in registering low-income people to vote through Oklahoma public assistance agencies in the wake of a settlement agreement that came to a formal close on November 30. The agreement, in effect since 2015, was the result of outreach to state officials by the Metropolitan Tulsa Urban League, the League of Women Voters of Oklahoma and Metropolitan Tulsa, and YWCA Tulsa, under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 (NVRA), a federal law requiring state public assistance agencies to offer voter registration opportunities to clients.

Based on data reported by the state, over the course of three years the average number of monthly voter registrations from the agencies has tripled – from less than 500 per month to almost 1,500 per month – adding more than 34,000 voters to the rolls since 2015.

“Oklahoma has tripled the numbers of people registering through public assistance agencies since 2015. The state should be commended for its impressive commitment to our shared American value that every eligible voter should be able to vote come Election Day,” said Brenda Wright, Senior Advisor for Legal Strategies at Demos, and a lawyer for the community organizations. “By implementing a comprehensive plan for voter registration services at these agencies across the state, Oklahoma has exemplified the NVRA’s principle and promise: States must do their part to bring all Americans into our democracy. We very much hope this commitment will be continued into the future,” Wright added.

“Our ultimate goal is to ensure that voting is accessible to all citizens, and that we are able to eliminate as many barriers to voter registration as possible. This agreement has enabled tens of thousands of voters to have a voice in elections who might not have been represented otherwise,” said Julie Davis, Chief Executive Officer of YWCA Tulsa.

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