The Countdown Is On: Supporters And Adversaries Await New Arena Voting Results

Those who want a new arena and those who don't are both waiting for the results of Tuesday's election.

Tuesday, December 12th 2023, 6:16 pm

By: News 9, Colby Thelen, Matt McCabe

The countdown is on, as voters make a final push for the polls on this rare December election day.

At stake: the green light needed to build a new $900 million Thunder arena, the bulk coming from taxpayer pockets in a temporary penny-tax similar to MAPS.

The polls close at 7 p.m.

The News 9 team is out, with more from those hoping for a "yes"... and others, wanting to see a "no."

Those who support the new arena, for organizations like Keep OKC Big League, are hoping for a win tonight to help further the economic development of the city, and to keep the Thunder around.

Those who voted ‘no’ to the new arena, are hoping for the majority of voters to do the same. Many opposition voters say that the money for the new arena should be coming from Thunder ownership groups, and not the community.

A big proponent of the measure is Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt.

He called tonight's decision historic, with 30 years of work at stake.

"This is a really big election. It's the biggest since 2008 which was the year we voted to upgrade the arena to get the sonics to relocate.

The reason it's so big is it's going to dictate our status for the next 30 years. Whether we're going to be a big city or not,” said Mayor Holt.