Voters on Tuesday will set the course for state and local governments

In an election bound to shape Oklahoma for many years, voters on Tuesday will decide whether to give Gov. Kevin Stitt another term, pick a successor for U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe and choose legislators, district attorneys, county commissioners, judges and others to serve in public office.

Voters in some cities will decide major local questions. In Oklahoma City, the ballot includes a $955 million bond issue to build five new schools, finance renovations at others and invest in transportation and maintenance.

Early in-person voting at county election boards began on Wednesday and ended on Saturday.

Polling places across the state open at 7 a.m. on Tuesday and close at 7 p.m.

Absentee ballots mailed by voters to their county election boards must be received by the time polls close to be counted. Hand-delivered absentee ballots must be notarized and returned no later than Monday.

On Friday afternoon, the Oklahoma State Election Board reported that 170,078 people had already voted absentee by mail or in person. About 52% were Republicans, 37% were Democrats, 10% were independents and less than 1% were Libertarians.

More:Election poll predicts urban-rural divide in Oklahoma governor's race, other contests

There are no statewide questions on the ballot. A proposal to legalize marijuana for recreational use just missed the deadline, and voters will decide its fate in March.

Oklahoma governor's race leads the local ballot

The marquee race is for the state’s chief executive, a job Stitt, a Republican, won in 2018 as a political outsider vowing to run state government like a business.

The three Oklahoma governors before Stitt — Republican Mary Fallin, Democrat Brad Henry and Republican Frank Keating — won a second term, and did so easily. But polls have shown a close race between Stitt and Democrat Joy Hofmeister, the state schools superintendent who switched parties to challenge the governor.

Some polls four years ago showed a close race between Stitt and Democrat Drew Edmondson, but Stitt beat Edmondson by 12 points after racking up huge margins in rural Oklahoma.

Stitt has sought to nationalize the race and link Hofmeister to President Joe Biden, who is deeply unpopular in Oklahoma.

Texas Sen. Ted Cruz appeared at a rally in Oklahoma City last week to boost Stitt and other Republicans, saying, “A simple test that people are applying nationally is: Has life gotten better under Joe Biden? For the vast majority of Americans, it hasn't."

But some voters are looking beyond Biden and high inflation.

“I’m voting for my rights and my daughter’s rights,” Shannon Bengs, of El Reno, said about her support for Hofmeister, who has characterized Stitt’s stance against abortion as extreme.

More:Polls ahead of the governor's race have been 'all over the place'

Bengs also said she believed Stitt brought extreme political rhetoric that wasn’t helping Oklahoma.

“I hope that more people decide to take a more moderate stance. I hope they understand how mentally unhealthy our political climate has been recently and understand that we have to find some common ground for our kids.”

The political climate in Oklahoma likely has been shaped in some part this year by the millions of dollars spent on anti-Stitt advertising by groups that don’t identify their donors. Seven groups have spent $14 million attacking Stitt, though that number understates the total since it only includes groups filing reports with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission.

Groups backing Stitt or opposing Hofmeister have reported a fraction of that, only about $1.1 million as of Friday.

Independent Ervin Yen and Libertarian Natalie Bruno also are running for governor.

Federal officials keeping watch on Oklahoma's voting process

These will be the first statewide elections since the 2020 presidential contest led to unsubstantiated charges of fraud in some states and a riot at the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump.

The Justice Department has put U.S. attorneys and FBI field offices on election duty across the country for Tuesday's voting.

“The Department of Justice is dedicated to protecting the integrity of the election process,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson, of the Northern District of Oklahoma. “Eligible voters must be able to cast their vote free from interference or discrimination. Likewise, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence.”

The Oklahoma State Election Board issued an advisory last week, saying, “During election time, misinformation and disinformation can run rampant. Voters are asked to be wary of information that seeks to promote conspiracy theories or false claims of fraud, voter suppression and/or other problems.

“If you experience an issue or believe an election or voting crime has been committed, your first action should be to notify your precinct officials and contact your County Election Board while the incident is in progress.”

The state Election Board conducted its first-ever post-election tabulation audits after the June 28 primaries. The audits, along with hand recounts of three races on the primary ballot, confirmed the accuracy of Oklahoma's voting system, Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax said.

More:Oklahoma congressional races: four incumbents, one open seat, little doubt

Both Senate seats on the ballot

Both U.S. Senate seats are on the ballot this year — a rare occurrence resulting from Inhofe retiring just two years after winning a six-year term — and all five congressional districts are being contested.

Inhofe announced in February that he would retire when the next Congress begins early next year, leaving the seat he has held since late 1994.

U.S. Rep. Markwayne Mullin, a plumbing company owner from rural eastern Oklahoma, won the GOP nomination to succeed Inhofe and is the heavy favorite in his race against former Democratic U.S. Rep. Kendra Horn, of Oklahoma City. No Democrat has won a U.S. Senate race in Oklahoma since 1990. Independent Ray Woods and Libertarian Robert Murphy also are running to succeed Inhofe.

Republican Sen. James Lankford is seeking a second full term and is running against political newcomer Madison Horn, an Oklahoma City Democrat who has worked in cybersecurity, and independent Michael Delaney and Libertarian Kenneth Blevins.

Mullin is among the many Republicans in Oklahoma who believe the 2020 presidential election was stolen, and he voted against certifying Electoral College votes from Arizona and Pennsylvania.

Inhofe and Lankford, by contrast, were the subjects of a censure effort by the Oklahoma Republican Party for voting to certify the Electoral College votes from those two states.

Mullin, who was endorsed by Trump, said in August that he didn’t know whether he would support Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, a Trump foe, to continue leading Senate Republicans.

More:Democrat Joy Hofmeister switched parties and needs others to do the same

The 2nd District congressional seat being vacated by Mullin is expected to be filled by Republican Josh Brecheen, a rancher and former state senator from Coalgate, who is facing Democrat Naomi Andrews, of Tulsa.

The four incumbent U.S. House members are expected to win new terms.

Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell, a Republican from Tulsa, is expected to coast to a second term, which may be spent in part preparing to run for governor in 2026. The last four lieutenant governors have run for governor: Republican Todd Lamb, Democrat Jari Askins, Republican Mary Fallin and Democrat Jack Mildren. Only Fallin won.

In other statewide races, there is a hot contest to succeed Hofmeister as state superintendent of public instruction, and open seat races for attorney general, treasurer and corporation commission.

Voters will decide whether to retain four of the nine Oklahoma Supreme Court justices, two of which were appointed by Stitt. Five judges of the Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals are also on the retention ballot.

Voters in some counties also have judicial races.

Oklahoma County voters will choose a successor for longtime District Attorney David Prater between Republican Kevin Calvey and Democrat Vicki Behenna.

Contributing: Staff writers Carmen Forman and Ben Felder

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma governor's race tops ballot that will set course for state