Do only 4 in 10 eligible Oklahomans vote?

The percentage of eligible Oklahomans who vote is consistently higher than 40%.

In November 2020, 58% of Oklahoma's eligible voters voted; during the midterm election year of 2022, 47% of eligible voters cast their ballots. Oklahoma has ranked among the bottom 10 states for voter turnout in the past 10 years.

While the national voter turnout rate has increased slightly since 1996, Oklahoma has stayed largely unchanged. The largest spike in Oklahoma voter turnout occurred between the midterm elections of 2014 and the presidential elections of 2016, from 34.2% to 56.6%. Voter turnout in the U.S. is consistently higher during presidential elections than midterm elections.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, voter turnout in 2022 was the second highest for a nonpresidential election year since 2000. The South had the nation’s lowest turnout in 2022, at 48.9%. Voters tend to be wealthier, older, and identify as White than non-voting citizens.