HB 2939 Oklahoma House · 2026 Regular Session

Elections; facsimile devices; absentee voting; repeal; effective date.

HB 2939 updates Oklahoma's absentee voting rules by amending election statutes to clarify procedures for damaged ballots and electronic applications. It allows county election boards to create substitute ballots when absentee ballots are damaged or unreadable (via fax or electronic submission), requiring two board members of different parties to document the process. The bill also tightens verification for electronic absentee applications, requiring voters to match their name, birth date, and ID number to their voter registration record and confirming their address before submitting. It repeals the specific provision about fax submissions (Section 14-118.1) while updating related sections to standardize these processes. This directly affects Oklahoma voters applying for absentee ballots electronically or by fax.

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Feb 2026

Committee Review

Apr 2026

House Passage

Mar 2026

Senate Passage

Governor

Introduced Feb 2, 2026 Last action Apr 23, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 3 comparisons

What changed between versions

Floor (House) → Floor (Senate) · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was amended to add a new provision allowing voters to apply for absentee ballots via facsimile devices and electronic communication. It also updated the rules for handling damaged ballots and clarified the requirements for identifying information on applications.

Scope change

The bill's scope was expanded to include facsimile devices and electronic communication as valid methods for requesting absentee ballots, whereas the original version only covered in-person, mail, and electronic methods without explicitly defining facsimile use.

ELIGIBILITY

Added a new subsection allowing registered voters to apply for absentee ballots by facsimile device or electronic communication, provided they can match their identification number to the voter registration record.

Changed the rule for voters who do not recall their identification number: the amendment allows them to provide multiple numbers if the record contains one, whereas the original text did not explicitly address this scenario for electronic applications.

REQUIREMENT

Modified the handling of damaged ballots by adding a specific clause for ballots delivered electronically or via facsimile, ensuring substitute ballots can be marked and counted for these specific delivery methods.

DEFINITION

Added a definition for 'identification number' to clarify that it refers to the number submitted on the registration application, ensuring consistency across different application methods.

Floor votes · House Mar 11, 2026

How they voted

76–15

Passed · 9 other

Total votes 100

Mar 11, 2026

D Democratic18

3 Yea 14 Nay 1

77% Nay

R Republican82

73 Yea 1 Nay 8

89% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

Apr 21, 2026

Upper · Passed

Reported Do Pass as amended Judiciary committee; CR filed

upper

Mar 12, 2026

Introduced

First Reading

upper

Mar 12, 2026

Lower · Passed

Engrossed, signed, to Senate

lower

Mar 11, 2026

Committee

Referred for engrossment

lower

Mar 11, 2026

Lower · Passed

Third Reading, Measure passed: Ayes: 76 Nays: 14

lower

Mar 5, 2026

Lower · Passed

CR; Do Pass Government Oversight Committee

lower

Feb 10, 2026

Lower · Passed

Policy recommendation to the Government Oversight committee; Do Pass Elections and Ethics

lower

Feb 3, 2026

Committee

Referred to Elections and Ethics

lower

Feb 2, 2026

Introduced

First Reading

lower

2 primary · 0 co-sponsors