Felons in Oklahoma regain their voting rights once they have served out their sentence, including probation and parole. A convicted felon cannot register to vote for a period that is equal to the time of his or her original sentence. If he or she is pardoned, then registration is allowed.

Felon Voting Law in Oklahoma

According to OKPolicy.org, felons in Oklahoma have their right to vote suspended for the entire lengths of their sentences. Therefore, a felon who is sentenced to seven years in prison but serves three years cannot vote for the total seven years. As of 2010, around 1.8% or approximately 51,500 people could not vote because of this suspension.

While the state ranks above the average nationally for felony convictions, it ranks below the national percentage for revoking voting rights. Oklahoma’s policies for felon disenfranchisement are fairly common across many states. Currently, 20 states revoke the voting rights of felons as Oklahoma does and nine of the states bar felons from the right to vote for life.

The idea of removing one’s civil rights, such as voting or serving on a jury, spans back to colonial times. During that time, crimes that were considered moral in nature, such a drunkenness, called for the need to protect the ballot box from people considered morally corrupt. According to the OKPolicy.org site, taking away voting rights can make it more difficult for reintegration to occur and for a felon to break a cycle of incarceration.

How a Felon in Oklahoma Can Restore Their Voting Rights

Oklahoma will not allow a felon to re-register to vote until the entire term of his or her sentence passes. For example, if a felon is convicted of a crime and sentenced to 5 years in prison but is released after three years’ time, the rights are not reinstated until the 5 years expire. Anyone on probation or parole is not allowed to vote either and must wait until they fulfill the requirements set for restitution.

After all the requirements are met for release from prison or for probation or parole, felons can re-register, provided they are –

· At least 18 years old

· A US citizen

· A resident of Oklahoma

· Judged mentally competent

· Have waited for the allocated time for registration that is related to the original time set forth for their incarceration

In order to register, felons must also provide one of the following IDs:

· An Oklahoma’s driver’s license number; or

· The last four digits of their social security number

Felons may obtain a voter’s registration application online or can obtain the form in person at –

· A county election board

· Post office

· Tag agency or Oklahoma DMV

· A government agency

· Library

· Other public location

Voter registration applications should be mailed to the State Election Board. If you fill out a voter registration form at either a tag agency or when applying for assistance at a government agency, the agency will mail in the form to the State Election Board on your behalf. You can find out more about regaining your right to vote and about registration by following this link.

Other Resources For Felons in Oklahoma

Getting Started: If this is your first time to our website, we highly recommend that you visit our getting started page to understand everything we have to offer. You can do so by clicking here.

Jobs For Felons: If you’re a felon looking for a job in Alabama, we have all of the resources you need including job listings by city, companies that hire felons, and our own job board. Click Here to learn more.

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