Elections and earthquakes

This next week features primary elections on Tuesday, June 24, and our earthquake town hall meeting on Thursday, June 26.

Those who have any question about their voter registration status or where to vote on Tuesday may utilize the state election board’s new voter information tool. By entering their name and date of birth, the voter can see where they are registered to vote and the address of their voting precinct.

But, that’s not all. There is an especially cool feature of the new site.

The voter may also view a sample ballot from his specific precinct. This allows him to research all the candidates before election day. In the past, a voter might not realize that a specific race included his particular precinct until after he arrived at the polls. This meant he could not research the candidates. Now he can identify and analyze each race prior to voting.

I have set up a direct short link to the new voter tool at hd31.org/621.

This will be the first election when those who have previously voted at Deer Creek Middle School will now vote at North Pointe Baptist Church at 5300 NW 220th. This includes those who live between Western and May from Waterloo to 220th, and voters living between May and Rockwell from Waterloo to 206th.

This is also the first contested House of Representatives election when voters living north of the Cimarron River, and Guthrie residents who vote at the Guthrie Christian Church, will no longer vote in House District 31 but will instead elect a new State Representative for House District 38. The change came about as a result of the 2011 redistricting process which dramatically reduced the size of House District 31 due to the district’s rapid population growth. Republican voters in District 38 must choose from an array of five candidates who are seeking the position.

On Thursday, June 26 at 7pm, State Representative Lewis Moore and I will host a town hall meeting at Waterloo Road Baptist Church. The meeting will feature presentations from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission and the Oklahoma Geological Survey regarding the seismic activity swarms which have plagued the Edmond and Guthrie areas.

This is the second town hall meeting held by these state officials about this issue. The first took place in Love County which experienced a similar issue several months ago.

These officials have indicated a willingness to answer every question asked of them. I believe we should take them up on their offer and would encourage everyone to come prepared with their questions.

I have also requested a legislative study about the issue and plan to continue working on this as long as the earthquake swarms continue.

I also especially appreciate the Waterloo Road Baptist Church for once again allowing us to hold a town hall meeting in their facility.

Those who cannot attend but would still like to receive the handouts from the meeting, should call my office at 557-7350 and we will provide them with the information.

Thank you for reading this article. Your interest and input are much appreciated. Please do not hesitate to email Jason.Murphey@hd31.org with your thoughts and suggestions.