General Election · November 3, 2026
How and when to vote
| Date | What | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Friday, October 9 | Voter registration deadline | Last day to register to vote for the Nov. 3 election. Source |
| Monday, October 19 5 p.m. |
Absentee ballot request deadline | Requests for a mailed absentee ballot are due by 5 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 19. Source |
| Wednesday, October 28 8 a.m.–6 p.m. |
Early voting | Early (in-person absentee) voting at the Pittsburg County Election Board, 1609 N. Strong Blvd., Suite 200, McAlester. Source |
| Thursday, October 29 8 a.m.–6 p.m. |
Early voting | Early (in-person absentee) voting at the Pittsburg County Election Board, 1609 N. Strong Blvd., Suite 200, McAlester. Source |
| Friday, October 30 8 a.m.–6 p.m. |
Early voting | Early (in-person absentee) voting at the Pittsburg County Election Board, 1609 N. Strong Blvd., Suite 200, McAlester. Source |
| Saturday, October 31 8 a.m.–2 p.m. |
Early voting (last day) | Last day of early voting at the Pittsburg County Election Board, 1609 N. Strong Blvd., Suite 200, McAlester. Source |
| Monday, November 2 end of business hours |
Last day to hand-deliver an absentee ballot | A voter delivering their own absentee ballot in person must bring it to the County Election Board, with proof of identity, by the end of regular business hours on Monday, Nov. 2, the day before the election. Source |
| Tuesday, November 3 7 a.m.–7 p.m. |
Election Day | General Election; polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Source |
| Tuesday, November 3 7 p.m. |
Mailed absentee ballots due | Absentee ballots returned by U.S. mail or a private delivery service must be received by the County Election Board by 7 p.m. on Election Day to be counted. Source |
Oklahoma’s General Election is Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026, and polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. 1 You can vote in three ways: at your polling place on Election Day, in person during early voting, or by mail with an absentee ballot. 2
Are you registered?
You can check your registration in the OK Voter Portal. To log in, you need your name as it appears on your registration and your date of birth. 3 The portal also lets you change your residence or mailing address and request a replacement voter ID card. 3
The deadline to register for the Nov. 3 election is Friday, Oct. 9, 2026. 4 That is 25 days before the election. Mailed applications postmarked later, and applications or online changes submitted later, are processed after the election. 5,6
You can register if you are a U.S. citizen, an Oklahoma resident and at least 18 years old. 5 A person convicted of a felony can register once the full sentence has been served, including any incarceration, parole, supervision or probation, or after a pardon or a qualifying commutation. 5
Ways to register 5:
- Online through the OK Voter Portal. This option requires an Oklahoma driver license or state ID and a signature on file with Service Oklahoma.
- By mail. Fill out an application with the OK Voter Portal’s “wizard,” or download one. Print it, sign it and mail it or hand-deliver it to the County Election Board. Paper applications are also available at the County Election Board, most tag agencies, libraries and post offices.
- In person at the County Election Board, or at a tag agency when you apply for, update or renew your driver license or state ID.
You are not registered until the County Election Board secretary approves your application. You will then get a voter identification card in the mail that lists your polling place. 5 If it does not arrive within 30 days, contact the County Election Board. 7
If you moved:
- Within Pittsburg County: update your address in the OK Voter Portal or on a paper application by Oct. 9. 7 If you miss that deadline, state law still lets you vote at your previous polling place. Show a valid ID and fill out a new voter registration application there. 7
- From another county, or if your name changed: you need to submit a new voter registration application. 5 Changes received after Oct. 9 are processed after the election. 7
Find your polling place and your own sample ballot
On Election Day you must vote at the polling place for your assigned precinct. County election boards may not use countywide vote centers on Election Day, except in a declared emergency. 8 To find your polling place and see the sample ballot for your precinct, use the OK Voter Portal. 9 Sample ballots in the portal are tailored to each voter. 10 You can also ask the County Election Board for a sample ballot. 10
The sample ballots on this site are for precinct 610004, and ballots in other precincts differ. 11,9 Voters inside McAlester city limits get a second, city ballot. 12,13 See Which ballot do voters get? for details.
Voter ID
You must show proof of identity to vote in person, both at your polling place and during early voting. 14 There are three ways to do it:
- A photo ID issued by the United States, the State of Oklahoma or a federally recognized tribal government. It must show your name and your photo. It must also have an expiration date after Election Day, unless it is valid indefinitely. 14 Examples include an Oklahoma driver license, an Oklahoma ID card, a U.S. passport and a U.S. military ID. 15 A tribal membership card works if it has your name and photo and has not expired. 15 The name on the ID must substantially match your name in the precinct registry. 14
- The free voter identification card that the County Election Board mailed you when you registered. It works even though it has no photo. 14 A replacement card is free. Request one through the OK Voter Portal or from the County Election Board, and allow 2–3 weeks for delivery. 16
- No ID? You can still vote with a provisional ballot after you sign a sworn affidavit. 14 Do not leave the polling place. Ask a poll worker for a provisional ballot. 10
A provisional ballot is sealed in a special envelope and does not go through the voting device. After Election Day, County Election Board officials check the affidavit and either approve the ballot for counting or reject it. 14 For a provisional ballot cast without ID to be counted, your name and address must substantially match your voter registration record. Your date of birth must match. Your driver license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number must also match, if you were required to give one when you registered. 17 A provisional ballot is counted only if it is cast in the precinct where you live. 18
If you vote a mailed absentee ballot, you do not include a copy of your ID. The notarized or witnessed affidavit establishes your identity. 15
Early voting
Any registered voter can vote early. No excuse is needed. 19 In Pittsburg County, early voting is held at the Pittsburg County Election Board, 1609 N. Strong Blvd., Suite 200, McAlester. This is the only early-voting site the State Election Board lists for the county. 20
- Wednesday, Oct. 28: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Thursday, Oct. 29: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Friday, Oct. 30: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 31: 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
You must vote early in the county where you are registered. 19 Bring the same proof of identity you would show on Election Day. 14 For the November 2024 general election, the McAlester News-Capital reported that early voting would be at the board’s offices at the time, 7 E. Chickasaw Ave. 21 For 2026, the State Election Board lists the Strong Blvd. address. 20
The City of McAlester’s page on its Nov. 3 lodging-tax question lists early voting only on Oct. 28–30 and does not mention Saturday, Oct. 31. 13 If you live inside the city and plan to vote on Saturday, you can call the County Election Board to confirm that the city ballot will be available that day.
If you are registered to vote, your employer must give you two hours to vote on Election Day or on an early-voting day. You must tell your employer at least three days ahead, and your employer may choose the day and hours. The rule does not apply if your workday starts at least three hours after the polls open or ends at least three hours before they close. 22,23
Absentee voting (by mail)
Any registered Oklahoma voter can vote by absentee ballot. You do not need to give a reason. 24
How to request a ballot. The easiest way is the OK Voter Portal. You can also send the application form to the County Election Board by mail, fax or email. 25 Your request must include an identification number that matches the one on your voter registration record. 25 One request can cover one election, several elections or every election in the calendar year. 25 Some voters must also send a Confirm Address for Absentee Ballot form with their request. This applies to inactive voters, voters flagged by the National Change of Address system as having moved, voters with an address the Postal Service cannot deliver to, and voters whose voter ID card was returned as undeliverable. 24
Deadline to request: 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 19. 4,26
Notarization or witnesses.
- Standard absentee ballots, the most common type, need a notarized affidavit. This applies whether you mail the ballot or hand-deliver it. 25 Oklahoma notaries may not charge to notarize an absentee ballot affidavit. Many banks, credit unions, libraries and other businesses offer this service free. 27 A candidate on the ballot, or a candidate’s campaign chair or treasurer, may not notarize your ballot. 28
- Physically incapacitated voters and their caregivers do not need a notary. Instead, their signature must be witnessed by two people. 29 Blind voters using the accessible absentee ballot also need two witnesses. 24
- Voters confined to a nursing home or veterans center in the county where they are registered have their ballots delivered by the county’s bipartisan Absentee Voting Board. Two board members witness the affidavit. 24
- Voters who become physically incapacitated after the Oct. 19 deadline and cannot go to the polls may be able to apply for an emergency absentee ballot. That ballot needs two witnesses. 24
Returning your ballot. You must return your own standard absentee ballot. It is against the law to return another voter’s ballot. 25
- By mail or delivery service: send it by U.S. mail with first-class postage, or by a private carrier with delivery documentation, such as FedEx or UPS. 25 It must be received by the County Election Board by 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. 25 The Postal Service recommends mailing it at least one week before the due date. 25
- By hand: bring it to the County Election Board and show proof of identity. Hand delivery closes at the end of regular business hours on Monday, Nov. 2, the day before the election. 28,30 The board lists its office hours as 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. 31 Physically incapacitated voters and caregivers may hand-deliver their own ballots by the same deadline. 29
The OK Voter Portal shows when your absentee ballot was mailed to you and when the County Election Board received it back. 25
On Election Day
- Hours: polls are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 3. 1 If you are in line at 7 p.m., you will be allowed to vote. 8
- Where: vote at the polling place for your assigned precinct. 8
- Checking in: a poll worker will ask for your name and ID. You then sign the precinct registry next to your name and receive your ballot, or more than one ballot. 10
- Notes are allowed: you may bring notes or a marked sample ballot. Keep them out of public view until you are in the voting booth. 10 Campaigning for or against anything on the ballot (“electioneering”) is a crime within 300 feet of the entrance to a polling place or early-voting site. 10
- No write-ins: Oklahoma generally does not allow write-in votes. 15
- Casting the ballot: feed your marked ballot into the voting device. If the device rejects it, the screen will show the reason. You can then override the rejection or ask a poll worker for a new ballot. 10
- Help and accessibility: tell a poll worker if you have a disability and want someone to help you, or if you want to use an audio ballot. Every voting device has an audio tactile interface. 10
- Ballot photos: you may photograph your marked ballot. It is a crime to share it, or otherwise reveal how you voted, while you are still inside the election enclosure. 10
- Results: results start coming in to the State Election Board after 7 p.m. on election night. 10
Pittsburg County Election Board
- Address: 1609 N. Strong Blvd., Suite 200, McAlester, OK 74501 31,32
- Phone: 918-423-3877 (fax 918-423-7088) 31,32
- Email: PittsburgCounty@elections.ok.gov 31,32
- Office hours: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday 31
- Secretary: Tonya Barnes 31,32
- Web page: pittsburg.okcounties.org/departments/election-board 31
You can also reach the Oklahoma State Election Board at (405) 521-2391 or info@elections.ok.gov. 10
Sources (32)
- 2026 Voter Information Calendar
- How to Vote
- OK Voter Portal
- Oklahoma State Election Board (home page)
- Register to Vote
- 26 O.S. § 4-110.1, Submitting Voter Registration Applications
- Update Voter Registration
- 26 O.S. § 7-104, Hours For Voting - Vote at Precinct Polling Place
- Next Election
- Voting 101
- Official sample ballot, Precinct 610004-REGNP, General Election, November 3, 2026, Pittsburg County (SampleBallot.pdf)
- Official sample ballot, Precinct 610004-MCAL, City of McAlester, November 3, 2026 (SampleBallot_City.pdf)
- Lodging Proposal (McAlester Lodging Tax Election: Nov. 3, 2026)
- Proof of Identity
- FAQs
- Request New Voter ID Card
- 26 O.S. § 7-114, Procedure for Determining Eligibility - Proof of Identity
- 26 O.S. § 7-116.1, Provisional Ballots
- Early Voting
- November 3 Election - Early Voting Locations
- Early voting begins this week
- Oklahoma Statutes, Title 26 (Elections), complete title; cited for § 7-101 (time off to vote)
- Time Off for Voting
- Absentee Voting
- Standard Absentee Voters
- 26 O.S. § 14-103, Time for Requesting Absentee Ballots
- Notary Services
- 26 O.S. § 14-108, Return of Ballots
- Physically Incapacitated Voters and Caregivers
- 26 O.S. § 14-104, Absentee Ballot Return or Delivery Time
- Election Board | Pittsburg County
- County Election Board Information