Mold Remediation in Tulsa, OK

TULSA, Okla. — The Oklahoma State Election Board reported the number of people who have voted early across the State of Oklahoma has already surpassed the previous two Presidential election years, and early voting is not finished yet for this year's election.

The State Election Board posted on social media more than 190,000 people voted early by midday Friday, a number that doesn't yet include Friday afternoon or Saturday voters.

In 2016, the number of early voters totaled 152,126, and in 2020, it was 167,185.

Long lines have been reported across the state in counties big and small. In smaller counties with a single early voting station, lines were between 30 minutes to one hour.

In larger counties like Tulsa County that had two early voting sites, the wait has been between two and a half to three hours at times.

However, voters on Friday told FOX23 they felt like poll workers had found their groove, and at both places the wait was on average an hour and a half to two hours, even though the length of the lines looked just as long as days one and two.

One voter shared the line wasn't bad as they had expected.

"It was really moving. I was surprised myself. I thought I was going to be here like two or three hours. It wasn't like that at all."

Tulsa County reported 7,406 voted early on Friday, and in total, 20,787 people voted early on days one through three.

FOX23 is told that if an early voting record is to be broken on multiple levels, they feel this year could be the year once everything is said and done Saturday afternoon.

Voters in line who spoke with FOX23 said they felt this election was one of the most important in their lifetime, and they also wanted to just vote and be done with what has felt like a long campaign season on multiple races.

"I've always been a fan of voting," said another voter. "I think it's one of our duties as a citizen. It's never been a question for me. I think it's part of our role as a citizen."

The fourth and final day of early voting is from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. statewide. If you are in line by 2 p.m., you will be allowed to vote even if you are still in line and voting is not complete by 2 p.m. Otherwise, your only other option is on Election Day.

If you have an absentee ballot, the U.S. Postal Service and election officials say it is too late to put it in the mail. Please hand deliver it to your local county election board as it will not make it in time if you drop it in the mail now.

GREEN COUNTRY, Okla. — As early voting begins for the presidential election, Green Country voters faced lines up to three hours long before they could cast their vote.

FOX23 traveled to five polling sites located in three different counties to speak with early voters and observe the turnout.

At all five polling locations, voters reported the lines were longer than they'd been in previous years.

"We have about an hour to hour and fifteen minutes for our line. We're running about 200-215 [voters] an hour through," said Julie Dermedy who works with the Rogers County Election Board.

Dermedy said back in 2020, they ran about 150-160 people an hour.

A Claremore resident named Joseph explained why he had chosen to come out and vote early despite the wait.

"Well, it was just in walking distance from my house. Don't put off tomorrow what you can do today."

In Owasso, the line to vote was just over an hour long.

"This is my 3rd time voting here and last time for president, I just walked in and was out in 5 minutes," said Janice, who had been hoping to avoid long lines by making an appointment and voting early.

In Wagoner County at NSU in Broken Arrow, wait times were up to two and a half to three hours long.

Dozens of people arrived and left the moment they saw the length of the line. Others were determined to vote no matter how long they had to wait.

"Gosh, I don't mind waiting two and a half hours if we're gonna make a change," shared one voter.

Another voted stated the wait didn't matter, they were just glad to have voted since they viewed this election as the most important one in our lifetime.

In Tulsa, the downtown voting location wait time fluctuated between an hour and a half to two hours depending on the time of day. At the east Tulsa location, wait times were between two and a half to three hours.

A voter in Tulsa named Don said the lines were longer than they had been in 2020, though he wasn't sure why.

"I'm hoping the people who feel the way I do turned out in full force," said Don.

Many people who left without voting when they saw the length of the lines said they plan to return in the upcoming days when the lines are hopefully shorter.

People in every county visited by FOX23 said they believed this was one of the largest turnouts they had ever seen for early voting.

The voting locations visited by FOX23 are listed below:

Early voting will continue through Saturday.

TULSA, Okla. — Early voting is underway in Oklahoma.

The Tulsa County Election Board said 6,514 people voted early in Tulsa County on day 1.

Our 2 News photojournalists captured long lines wrapped around the Tulsa County Election Board and the East Skelly location.

People braved the wind to exercise their American right to vote and ensure their voices were heard.

2 News spent the day listening to early voters and discovering what issues are top of mind for them.

Richie Calmus and his wife, Amy, spent nearly two hours in line on the first day of Oklahoma’s early voting to cast their ballot.

We met them at the election board as they braved the difficult parking and the long lines.

“It’s a huge election and it’s an honor to come out here and vote and kind of vote for what you believe in and you know I think it’s our duty too. If you want to make changes, then that’s the way to do it to go out and get your ballot and vote,” said Calmus.

I discovered several issues on the mind of voter, Shirley Quintana.

I’m voting for a better economy, better border security and I’m voting for the elderly to have rights,” she said.

Melvin Fields spoke about the sacrifices made for our freedom and how it’s vital that we defend it.

“There’s been a lot of sacrifices made over the years through the generations. My parents voted and they fought in the wars, my son was the wars, my daughters were in the military and I’ve been in the military so it’s a lot at stake. It’s something worth protecting, not only with guns but with a vote. This is the way we do it in a civilized society,” said Fields.

Joey Ramirez and his husband, Brett Yeakey, said they spent over two hours in line, but it was worth every minute.

“It’s very important. Casting your vote is the most American thing you can do so we were first in line,” said Ramirez.

“This is very important to us. We’ve been excited to cast our vote for a long time. Issues that are important to me are making sure that women have their full and equal rights as citizens, making sure that my husband and I, as LGBTQ citizens, get good representation in the state of Oklahoma,” said Yeakey.

The election board wants to remind everyone to bring their ID and an umbrella if they plan to get out and vote early over the next few days.

Going more in-depth now, in 2020, the election board said it saw 13,000 early voters.

This year, it’s expecting around 20,000 or more.

You can cast your early vote Wednesday through Friday from 8am to 6pm.

Then, on Saturday – you can vote from 8 am until 2:00 pm.

The election board is encouraging anyone who can to go to the East Skelly location, as there is more parking available.

Voters in the Sooner State can vote through Nov. 2nd by going to one of the designated early polling locations.

FIND YOURS—> County by County

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Oklahoma Weather Forecast: Bookmark this page and refresh it often for the latest forecast and daily updates.

By: News On 6

TULSA, Okla. -

The upper-level trough that caused yesterday's severe weather will gradually clear today. Until it moves out, brief showers and drizzle are possible early this morning. Temperatures will drop from the 60s into the 50s this morning, accompanied by a breezy west wind.

By afternoon, clouds will start to break up from west to east, with highs reaching the lower 60s in northern Oklahoma and upper 60s in the southeast. Winds will remain from the west at around 10 mph.

Due to recent heavy rainfall, patchy fog is possible early Wednesday, but sunshine will return by afternoon, with highs in the upper 60s.

The next upper-level storm system is developing and will begin affecting our weather Thursday through the early part of the weekend, bringing additional chances for showers and thunderstorms.

The highest likelihood of rain for much of eastern Oklahoma is late Thursday night into Friday, ending by early Saturday.

Some areas may receive another 1 to 3 inches of rain, though severe weather threats remain low as surface instability is expected to be limited. While some timing changes are possible, it looks like most of the weekend should be precipitation free with morning lows in the 40s and 50s and highs in the 60s.

After nearly two months of dry conditions, much of the area has received 5 to 9 inches of rain over the past week. As of early November, Tulsa has recorded 6.42 inches of rain this month, bringing the total since January 1st to 41.46 inches.

Hurricane Rafael:

A tropical storm has formed in the Caribbean and is expected to strengthen into Hurricane Rafael later tonight into Wednesday as it impacts Cuba. The system will then move into the central Gulf of Mexico, potentially becoming a strong tropical storm or a Category 1 hurricane. By this weekend, impacts from the system are likely along the southeastern U.S. coast, particularly in southern Louisiana.

Emergency Info: Outages Across Oklahoma:

Northeast Oklahoma has various power companies and electric cooperatives, many of which have overlapping areas of coverage. Below is a link to various outage maps.

PSO Outage Map

OG&E Outage Map

VVEC Outage Map

Indian Electric Cooperative (IEC) Outage Map

Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives Outage Map — (Note Several Smaller Co-ops Included)

The Alan Crone morning weather podcast link from Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/show/0dCHRWMFjs4fEPKLqTLjvy

The Alan Crone morning weather podcast link from Apple:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/oklahoma-news-from-kotv-news-on-6-in-tulsa-oklahoma/id1499556141

Follow the News On 6 Meteorologists on Facebook!

Meteorologist Travis Meyer

Meteorologist Stacia Knight

Meteorologist Alan Crone

Meteorologist Stephen Nehrenz

Meteorologist Aaron Reeves

Meteorologist Megan Gold

Celebrate Giving Tuesday all season long by donating, volunteering and spreading the word about these amazing local organizations.

Patch Holiday, Patch Staff

Giving Tuesday is a global movement that encourages people to give back to their communities, typically through charitable donations, volunteer work or acts of kindness. It takes place annually on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving in the U.S., right after Black Friday and Cyber Monday. While it's celebrated widely, the real impact happens when we do good right at home by supporting local businesses, causes and organizations working to uplift our own communities.

We've rounded up a list of some great organizations, causes and initiatives in the Tulsa area. Please keep in mind, this is by no means an exhaustive list — just a starting point for discovering amazing local opportunities to give back, not only on Giving Tuesday but year-round! Be sure to contact each organization directly to find out about their hours or the best ways you can contribute.

Growing Together is committed to transforming neighborhoods into supportive environments where children can thrive by addressing education, community engagement and affordable housing. By partnering with local schools and organizations, the initiative provides essential resources and personalized support to help students overcome challenges and break the cycle of poverty.Learn more: gttulsa.org

Tulsa-based nonprofit Martha’s Foundation supports and empowers teen mothers by providing education, resources and a stable living environment. Established in 2010, the foundation works with community partners to offer essential services to first-time pregnant teens and young mothers facing homelessness, abuse or unstable home conditions, offering a nurturing space for personal growth and development.Learn more: marthasfoundation.org

Up With Trees is a nonprofit organization on a mission to enhance urban life in Tulsa through nature. By educating the community on the environmental, economic and social benefits of trees, they aim to improve air quality, provide shade and strengthen neighborhoods for a healthier and more connected community.Learn more: upwithtrees.org

Find out what's happening in Tulsawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The BeHeard Movement provides essential services such as mobile showers, laundry facilities and haircuts to improve the lives of Tulsa residents experiencing homelessness. Through its mobile drop-in center, the organization works to restore dignity and hope while assisting clients in regaining stability by providing case management and access to community resources.Learn more: beheardmovement.org

Since 1961, Animal Aid of Tulsa has been rescuing sick, injured and abused stray dogs and cats in Tulsa and surrounding areas. Their mission includes finding loving homes for these animals while boosting awareness and respect for the rights of companion animals in the community.Learn more: animalaid.org

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