I just got spam texted a scary video from Carol. Apparently OKC has descended into an urban hellscape tantamount to the worst parts of Chicago. At least, that's what Carol said in her scary doomsday video.

Being spam texted is the most low rent, intrusive form of campaigning. Of course I unsubscribed from the number I never subscribed to and blocked all future messages but it's funny that people think this is an effective way to persuade voters.

yes it is the absolute worst ..

I am disappointed with Carol Hefner and her campaign’s racist overtures. Her campaign commercials are clearly attempts to tie black people to high crime rates and her Facebook posts attacking black people and cheering (she “loves it!”) on a group waving Confederate flags at President Obama are disgusting. I knew she was a bit “off” after seeing her performance at the City Council meeting, debating against the mask mandate, but I didn’t realize just how nasty she was.

I mean.. I have to hand it to her consultants. They let Carol be Carol. They let her freak flag fly. Knowing some of the GOP consultants personally, at this point, I strongly believe that they didn't moderate the candidate, they let her own narcissism undo her.

Urbanic's campaign, I think hits some pretty strong notes. He's very qualified for public office. He'd be a strong candidate against Stephanie Bice for CD5 if he could figure out how to appeal to the rural vote, which I think is going to be a strong departure from what I know to be in Bice's former campaign manager's wheelhouse. For Urbanic, I think this race may be mostly about name rec. Holt's got this thing in the bag.

I mean.. I have to hand it to her consultants. They let Carol be Carol. They let her freak flag fly. Knowing some of the GOP consultants personally, at this point, I strongly believe that they didn't moderate the candidate, they let her own narcissism undo her.

Urbanic's campaign, I think hits some pretty strong notes. He's very qualified for public office. He'd be a strong candidate against Stephanie Bice for CD5 if he could figure out how to appeal to the rural vote, which I think is going to be a strong departure from what I know to be in Bice's former campaign manager's wheelhouse. For Urbanic, I think this race may be mostly about name rec. Holt's got this thing in the bag.

You seem to give Frank a lot of undeserved credit. His campaign, while not a complete horror film like Carol's, shows a total lack of understanding. Both of them are basically campaigning on the same MAPS critique: F the Streetcar. LOL. Urbanic is grandstanding on his ability to impact MAPS in the first place. Candidates that are so fundamentally dishonest deserve no foundation in our city government that, while far from perfect, has presided over a period of unprecedented improvement and general collegiality that is mostly untarnished by bare-knuckle partisanship and mindless populism.

Also, nothing is ever "in the bag" unless people vote. So, everyone reading this, please vote tomorrow if you have not already.

Yeah Urbanic is a clown no different than Hefner.

Today's the day.

Please remember to vote!

Voted first thing this morning just before 8:00, didn't seem like heavy turnout but a few people were leaving as I arrived and a few more arrived as I left. Might have just been the pre-work crowd.

Went right at 7AM and was the sixth in line to vote at my precinct, although there's always that early morning "rush". I know Holt is still heavily favored here, but it sounds like Carol Hefner made quite the last minute push blasting tons of folks with texts, mailers, digital ads, radio ads, etc., and I don't trust low turnout elections enough to completely relax. Go vote folks!

Went right at 7AM and was the sixth in line to vote at my precinct, although there's always that early morning "rush". I know Holt is still heavily favored here, but it sounds like Carol Hefner made quite the last minute push blasting tons of folks with texts, mailers, digital ads, radio ads, etc., and I don't trust low turnout elections enough to completely relax. Go vote folks!
I hope Carol's radio commercials don't turn anyone to her cause. Pretty close to a quote "I'm pro police and fire department. David Holt is pro rioters". OMG!!!! Really Carol?

Today's the day.

Please remember to vote!

Silly question, do I need to bring anything to the polling location? It's my first time participating in a local election and did absentee for presidential.

Silly question, do I need to bring anything to the polling location? It's my first time participating in a local election and did absentee for presidential.

A photo ID, like a driver's license.

I hope Carol's radio commercials don't turn anyone to her cause. Pretty close to a quote "I'm pro police and fire department. David Holt is pro rioters". OMG!!!! Really Carol?

Holt received the endorsements of both the Police and Fire unions. Carol is using the footage of Holt with BLM leaders as a trigger for racists, which is whom Carol is targeting in her strategy. Should be good to get her at least 12% of the vote. In a low turnout race, it could be higher.

It would be nice if people really turned out for Holt to repudiate her style of campaigning, which featured blatant misinformation about vaccines and masks, total lies about the origin of homeless people and how they became that way, and last but not least, a blatant appeal to racists.

Hopefully she is absolutely crushed in this election and will focus on real estate development instead of aspiring for political offices going forward.

A photo ID, like a driver's license.

Actually, the county election board-issued voter ID card will also suffice if you don't have a photo ID for whatever reason.

https://oklahoma.gov/elections/voters/proof-of-identity.html

Actually, the county election board-issued voter ID card will also suffice if you don't have a photo ID for whatever reason.

https://oklahoma.gov/elections/voters/proof-of-identity.html

Yep. I’ve only ever used my voter registration card as proof. If a voter has neither a photo ID or their voter registration card, they can still vote via a provisional ballot, provided they are willing to sign an affidavit testifying to their identity.

You seem to give Frank a lot of undeserved credit. His campaign, while not a complete horror film like Carol's, shows a total lack of understanding. Both of them are basically campaigning on the same MAPS critique: F the Streetcar. LOL. Urbanic is grandstanding on his ability to impact MAPS in the first place. Candidates that are so fundamentally dishonest deserve no foundation in our city government that, while far from perfect, has presided over a period of unprecedented improvement and general collegiality that is mostly untarnished by bare-knuckle partisanship and mindless populism.

Also, nothing is ever "in the bag" unless people vote. So, everyone reading this, please vote tomorrow if you have not already.

I think you may have misunderstood. Name recognition for a trial lawyer means you get clients. This is free advertising for him, which is really the only rational reason for him to hang in there. If anyone votes for Urbanic because he says he'll undo MAPS, they've been sold a bill of goods. The mayor is but one vote on the horseshoe. He couldn't defund the Streetcar even if he wanted to.

But how stupid do consultants have to be to have their guys run against the MAPS brand?? The MAPS brand isn't even a person and it wins every single time it comes up by massive margins. Even when we have projects which are unpopular such as the convention center.

Future candidates: If your consultant tells you that you should run against something that wins by no less than 55% of the vote every single time, why would you hire that person???

Future candidates: If you want to run against something that for the past 20+ years has won by 55% of the vote every single time, why are you wasting your time on this endeavor?

Urbanic isn't Carol Hefner. I still think he's a pretty serious person. That said, Mr. Lt. Colonel needs to review and re-review the stand down order, because I'm not sure he's quite in compliance.

The candidates and their consultants have been a real clown show this year.

I hope Carol's radio commercials don't turn anyone to her cause. Pretty close to a quote "I'm pro police and fire department. David Holt is pro rioters". OMG!!!! Really Carol?

Since when is the truth important to her persuasion?

I think you may have misunderstood. Name recognition for a trial lawyer means you get clients. This is free advertising for him, which is really the only rational reason for him to hang in there. If anyone votes for Urbanic because he says he'll undo MAPS, they've been sold a bill of goods. The mayor is but one vote on the horseshoe. He couldn't defund the Streetcar even if he wanted to.

But how stupid do consultants have to be to have their guys run against the MAPS brand?? The MAPS brand isn't even a person and it wins every single time it comes up by massive margins. Even when we have projects which are unpopular such as the convention center.

Future candidates: If your consultant tells you that you should run against something that wins by no less than 55% of the vote every single time, why would you hire that person???

Future candidates: If you want to run against something that for the past 20+ years has won by 55% of the vote every single time, why are you wasting your time on this endeavor?

One bit of nuance/warning I’d add to this. If a consultant is telling you to run against something that won 55% or more of the vote in a previous election, the consultant is either doing that because 1) they are incompetent, 2) they have a clear financial interest in doing so, or 3) they have polling data that shows the “something” —MAPS in this case—has soured in favorability ratings and there may be a winning tactic related to that. I haven’t seen anything to indicate MAPS is no longer popular and I’d be shocked if it that were the case, but, having run these types of campaigns before, if I were a MAPS supporter, I’d immediately wonder what the polling data shows on it and wonder if there is something surprising there. I remember a race in Norman many years ago when an initiative on the ballot passed by large margins (i.e., it was very popular at the time of the election), yet candidates who ran against it two years later won because their polling data showed the public had turned against project—and people were shocked by it.

My inclination, based on what I’ve seen from these candidates, is to believe the consultant is either incompetent or just seeking to rake in the money on advertising deals and not because they have any reliable data showing the public has soured on MAPS.

Since when is the truth important to her persuasion?

Excellent point.

(EDIT: Oops, others beat me to the punch - that'll teach me to reply before reading the rest of the thread, lol)


A photo ID, like a driver's license.

You can also present your VoterID card for identification.

From https://oklahoma.gov/elections/faqs.html#c247:



You may show any document issued by the United States, the State of Oklahoma, or a federally recognized tribal government if it includes your name, a photograph of you, and an expiration date that is later than the election in which you are voting. For example, the following documents meet these requirements:

Oklahoma driver license
Oklahoma Identification Card
United States passport
United States military identification

The law also requires that your name on your proof of identity must match your name in the Precinct Registry

There are two alternatives to showing a photo identification described above:

1. You may show the free Voter Identification Card issued by the County Election Board as proof of identity even though it does not include a photograph.

2. You may vote by provisional ballot and prove your identity by signing a sworn affidavit.

Went to vote, went in the wrong precinct room, and a very ‘in charge’ individual, examining my voter ID said wrong room, but that my card was old and needed to be replaced. Same address as the card (from 2007), went to correct room, no questions or problems. So if you don’t change address, or party affiliation, how long is a voter ID card good for?

I just use my driver’s license.

Went to vote, went in the wrong precinct room, and a very ‘in charge’ individual, examining my voter ID said wrong room, but that my card was old and needed to be replaced. Same address as the card (from 2007), went to correct room, no questions or problems. So if you don’t change address, or party affiliation, how long is a voter ID card good for?

Yeah, I think our election board needs to do a better job training the precinct workers on a lot of process, procedure, and etiquette. When I voted today, the poll worker was standing right next to the machine and looking at every single person's ballot as they put it in. That's not allowed.

Silly question, do I need to bring anything to the polling location? It's my first time participating in a local election and did absentee for presidential.

I've brought my own black ball point pen to fill out the ballot instead of using the communal black pens provided in the cardboard booths. I'm a bit of a germophobe since the pandemic started. :)

I don't know how long they are "good" for, but you should have received a new one if they changed your polling place. I think I got my third one in three years because my polling place keeps getting moved.

To get a new one, you have to contact the county election board. There is no easy way to get one. You will have to email them or call.
They really should put a button to request a new one on the OK Voter Portal https://okvoterportal.okelections.us/

[QUOTE=Brett;1195911]I've brought my own black ball point pen to fill out the ballot instead of using the communal black pens provided in the cardboard booths. I'm a bit of a germophobe since the pandemic started. :)

My polling place told me to take the pen to avoid germs! They had hundreds in stock./QUOTE]

Yeah, I think our election board needs to do a better job training the precinct workers on a lot of process, procedure, and etiquette. When I voted today, the poll worker was standing right next to the machine and looking at every single person's ballot as they put it in. That's not allowed.

Voters can put the ballot face down into the machine to preserve their secrecy. Not a problem.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/mayor020822a.jpg

I'm really hoping Carol comes in last.

Does Holt just need a simple 50% +1 to avoid a runoff?

Does Holt just need a simple 50% +1 to avoid a runoff?

Yes.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/mayor020822b.jpg

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/mayor020822c.jpg

^

Based on the current run-rate of election day votes plus the absentee and early voting, my projections show Holt winning about 59% of the vote.

^

Based on the current run-rate of election day votes plus the absentee and early voting, my projections show Holt winning about 59% of the vote.

Not disagreeing at all, but that seems low. Seems like he should get about 85% of the vote with the way he's led the city. All I really care is that he gets 50% +1.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/mayor020822d.jpg

^

My projections still showing Holt will finish with 58-60% of the vote.

Not disagreeing at all, but that seems low. Seems like he should get about 85% of the vote with the way he's led the city. All I really care is that he gets 50% +1.

Not exactly. He lost a fair amount of progressive support over the JJ issue.

Should have probably said something, even if the crime allegedly happened in Edmond.

Not exactly. He lost a fair amount of progressive support over the JJ issue.

Should have probably said something, even if the crime allegedly happened in Edmond.
The JJ issue?

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/mayor020822e.jpg

My projections now showing Holt will finish with about 58% of the vote; certainly way more than the majority he needs to win outright.

The JJ issue?
Julius Jones. Holt didn’t say anything so some people thought it would be a good idea to vote for someone else guaranteeing that if Holt did lose the winner would be someone who probably supported the execution of JJ.

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/mayor020822f.jpg

Holt wins a 2nd term with ease:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/mayor020822g.jpg

All precincts have now reported:

http://www.okctalk.com/images/pete/mayor020822h.jpg

Yeah, I think our election board needs to do a better job training the precinct workers on a lot of process, procedure, and etiquette. When I voted today, the poll worker was standing right next to the machine and looking at every single person's ballot as they put it in. That's not allowed.

I had that, and when I said my address didn't match what was in their book they told me to be quiet about that. I only moved a mile down the road, but still.

https://i.ibb.co/B4dqJQF/2022-OKC-mayoral-election.png

LMAO: Carol finished third, winning only two tiny precincts! She raised and spent a TON of money, too. All for 13% of the vote. This proves once again that her loony anti-mask antics and blatant racist appeals have very limited support in OKC. Also, trying to convince OKC residents that we live in a crime-riddled hellhole is a laughable basis for a campaign.

On a humorous note: she did a big campaign event in YUKON last week with Sheriff West. Real good closing strategy there! LOL.

Not exactly. He lost a fair amount of progressive support over the JJ issue.

Should have probably said something, even if the crime allegedly happened in Edmond.

This is just one person’s thought process, but I intentionally stayed home because I didn’t like Holt’s decision to refuse to debate. Obviously, Holt is far, far preferable to any of the “challengers,” and I understand his reasons for sitting out the debate. But I didn’t want to reward what I saw as anti-democratic behavior with my vote.

Biggest turnout in a mayoral election since 1959 in terms of absolute numbers and double the total number of votes since the last race. Even with a smaller win percentage and a third of votes going to far-right candidates, Holt has to be pretty happy with that level of support and turnout.

Personally, I find it hilarious that Carol Hefner spent so much money on racist television ads and mis-spelled and illiterate mail pieces to come in a VERY distant third place. I guess we know with certainty whether Hefner’s consultants had intriguing polling results on MAPS (or anything else) or whether they were simply incompetent—an answer I think we likely had after seeing her mail pieces that couldn’t even get her name correct.

fun race fellas

The numbers were quite good: winning 60% of the vote with three other challengers in the race, and beating the closest opponent by 40%, is a landslide election.

A very wise elder city leader once told me that in city races, "Anyone can put their hat in and get 15%." Well, it didn't pan out that way for Carol.

The other thing he said is that if there's a vote on an issue rather than a candidate, there will always be 35% who will say, "No." So that speaks highly of the MAPS brand when you consider that the last MAPS election also had high turnout and hit 74% support, eclipsing that negative threshold.

Frank Urbanic seemed to feature anti-MAPS sentiment for his campaign. And, four out of five voters voted for someone other than Frank Urbanic. Perhaps Midtowner was correct in saying this was just an attempt to garner name recognition for something else. Who knows?

Other politicians have tried to run against MAPS, such as Ed Shadid (who when he was initially elected explicitly did not run against MAPS). It was in his failed mayoral attempt and after trying to upend the streetcar that he did. After so many failed attempts by numerous politicians to run against MAPS, it's baffling that others continue that failed approach.

dumb question... what is the non-okc land just east of bethany? from the map, it looks like it's around sportsmans lake. is this unincorporated land like the stockyards?

dumb question... what is the non-okc land just east of bethany? from the map, it looks like it's around sportsmans lake. is this unincorporated land like the stockyards?

Is that Warr Acres?

dumb question... what is the non-okc land just east of bethany? from the map, it looks like it's around sportsmans lake. is this unincorporated land like the stockyards?

Isn't all that land part of what used to be the Sportsman club there?

Isn't all that land part of what used to be the Sportsman club there?

Yes, if you look at the city limits on Google Maps you can see that’s what it is.

Over in the sportsman's thread when the Chickasaws bought it, it was noted that it's unincorporated.

perfect... thanks everyone!

Press release from the city:

************

David Holt re-elected to second mayoral term
2/9/2022

Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt was re-elected to a second four-year term in yesterday’s general election, garnering 59.8% of the vote. Holt’s new term begins May 3.

More than 60,000 residents voted in the election, the largest turnout for an Oklahoma City mayoral race since 1959. Mayor Holt’s 36,338 votes are more than any candidate for Mayor has received since 1959.

Mayor Holt is Oklahoma City’s 36th Mayor and the first to be an enrolled member of a Native American tribe. When he took office in 2018 he was the youngest American mayor of a city with more than 500,000 residents.

The Mayor is one of nine members of the Oklahoma City Council. The other members represent each of Oklahoma City’s eight Wards.

The Council is nonpartisan and members serve part-time at the head of the City’s Council-Manager form of government. The Mayor’s annual salary is $24,000, and Council members’ annual salary is $12,000.

All election results are unofficial until certified by the Oklahoma County Election Board.

dumb question... what is the non-okc land just east of bethany? from the map, it looks like it's around sportsmans lake. is this unincorporated land like the stockyards?

Yes, the Sportsman Club is unincorporated, just Oklahoma County.