Oklahoma Early In-Person Voting Skyrockets, News 9’s Political Analyst Says Anxiety Drives Voters

Early voting has surpassed 2020’s total by 70,000 votes; there's still one more day to go. News 9 reported on the long lines at polling places across the state all week. 

A News 9 political analyst Scott Mitchell pointed to people's uneasy feelings about the potential outcome and the state of American politics. He said numbers can reveal what people want. 

“This is the first time I've ever voted early,” said Whitney Bone, who voted early this week. “Not wait until Tuesday and just say that I did my part.” 

Mitchell said Oklahoma voters showed up early for a reason. So far, Oklahoma’s in-person absentee voting crushed 2020’s number with more than 237,000 people voting early. 

“Going earlier is easier,” Mitchell said. 

Mitchell said people’s anxiety toward this election is a likely factor for the unexpected lines. 

“It’s brutal,” Mitchell said. “The anxiety level is up. that’s data-driven. that’s one thing I think that social scientists are getting right.” 

Mitchell said the OKC election day terrorism threat last month has also caused anxiety. He said he expects lines on Tuesday to be much shorter. As far as what it means for the results, he said it’s anybody’s guess.  

The urgency to vote illustrates a shared feeling. Mitchell said he believes the numbers disclose what most people have in common. 

“Everybody’s concerned,” Mitchell said. “They’re all saying the same thing – and that is, ‘I can’t wait until this is over.’” 

Mitchell said more Oklahomans are also becoming more comfortable with the early voting process. He said he expects this trend to continue in future elections.