Early voting in the Sept. 9 special elections will begin later this week at the Seminole County Courthouse in Wewoka.

Next Tuesday, all of Seminole County will vote on a proposed half-cent sales tax that will benefit the county’s ten area public school districts, the District Attorney’s education office and Seminole State College (SSC). Registered voters in the town of Bowlegs will vote on whether to renew the town’s franchise agreement with OG&E, which has been in place since 1976.

According to the Oklahoma State Election Board, early voting will be available from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 4 and Friday, Sept. 5. The Seminole County Election Board is located at 123 S. Mekusukey in Wewoka.

Polls will be open 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. on election day. Check your voter ID card for your precinct location or log onto the voter portal via the state election board website.

The ballot for the tax proposal reads as follows: “Shall Seminole County, Oklahoma levy and assess a new One Half of One Percent (0.5%) County Sales Tax beginning January 1, 2026 with a termination date of December 31, 2035, said tax levied upon gross receipts derived from all sales taxable under the Oklahoma Sales Tax Code, that $0.0045 cents shall be equitably divided between the ten (10) public school districts in Seminole County, Oklahoma based upon an annual accounting of the average daily attendance of students within each school district to be utilized for the building, transportation, safety, security, and technology needs of the school districts; sales tax revenues shall not be utilized to pay salaries; and $0.00025 cents to be utilized for theconstruction, maintenance, and promotion of District 22’s Children’s Advocacy Center; and $0.00025 cents to be utilized for the construction, maintenance, and promotion of Seminole State College’s dual enrollment, concurrent and early college enrollment of students from the ten (10) County schools; providing that the purpose of the One Half of One Percent (0.5%) Sales Tax shall be to fund education in Seminole County, Oklahoma, more specifically set out in the Resolution as adopted and approved by the Board of County Commissioners on June 30, 2025?”

The Bowlegs proposition reads: “Shall a franchise be granted to the Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company, a corporation, its successors and assigns giving it the right to produce, transmit and distribute electricity within the Town and to sell electricity therein for all purposes for which it may be used, to the Town, its inhabitants and the public generally, and the right to construct, maintain and operate a system of poles, wires, conduits and other facilities and equipment in, upon, across, under and over the streets, alleys, public grounds or ways in the Town for such purposes, for a period of twenty- five (25) years; providing compensation to the Town; in accordance with the terms of Ordinance Number 2025-04-01, passed and approved by the Board of Trustees of the Town of Bowlegs, Oklahoma, on the 12th day of April, 2025?”

For questions, contact the Election Board at (405) 257-2786 or at semi-nolecounty@ elections.ok.gov.