At the State Election Board, voters are talking about the integrity of Oklahoma’s elections in light of the presidential election

COMANCHE CO., Okla. (KSWO) – What many are calling the most important election in United States history is almost upon us.

However, many have questioned the integrity of the election process, particularly in Comanche County after the previous one Republican sheriff runoff mix-up.

“Don’t let something like this discourage you,” said Paul Ziriax, secretary of the State Election Board. “If someone tries to use this fact to convince you not to vote, they’re probably not a very good person.”

Ziriax said people should have confidence in Oklahoma’s election process because there are multiple systems in place to catch these errors and reassure voters.

“First, post-election audits will be conducted to confirm that voting machines counted ballots correctly. Lawmakers have put in place mechanisms to allow a candidate to challenge the results of an election if they fear a recount is necessary or if they fear there may have been irregularities. If potential crimes have been committed, the secretary of the county elections board will report it to law enforcement so that the matter can be investigated,” Ziriax said.

As early voting began, some Comanche County voters spoke about whether or not election security was an issue for them.

“It’s not that concerning to me, but I think it is to a lot of people,” said Oklahoma voter Michelle Johnson. “As long as people have integrity, morals and their principles, I think everything should go smoothly for everyone. I think as long as people feel that they are upholding the principles of life as much as possible, I think everyone will be fine.”

“There are too many fake votes coming in. They’re sneaking behind the scenes and that’s just not right,” said Clyde Long, another voter.

“If it is important for the person to feel that they want to burn everything, it must be very important for those who are citizens of the United States to make great efforts to get there and vote” , added Vera Hoskin.

Ziriax said Oklahoma has close to 100% accurate voting in most cases, and while mistakes happen, you can’t discredit the majority of people who do things right.