Elections

The City of El Reno Charter States as follows: 

Election: Filing 

Any qualified person who is an actual resident of the municipality may become a candidate for mayor or councilman by filing a declaration of candidacy no earlier than 8 am on the last Monday in August, and no later than 4:30 pm on the next succeeding Wednesday with the secretary of the county election board. A member shall not be required to forfeit his council position until he is elected, qualified, and takes office as mayor. 

An election shall be held in November every year to elect a councilman to succeed the councilman whose term is expiring. The date for said election shall be in accordance with the election schedule prescribed in 26 O.S. § 3-101. If there is only one candidate, he shall be elected ipso facto; and a formal election need not be held. Qualified electors of the City shall only be entitled to vote for one candidate who resides within their ward, and the instruction "Vote for only one" shall appear on the ballot above the names of the candidates. The candidate from the ward who receives the greatest number of votes shall be elected councilman. A simple majority will determine the winner of the election. In case of failure to elect a councilman because of a tie, the election shall be determined fairly by lot from among the candidates tying, by the county election board in a public meeting. 

Said terms shall begin the Tuesday following the election at 7:30 pm, and shall continue for four years until their successors are duly qualified. The mayor shall be elected at large every three years thereafter. 

Council candidates must reside within the ward they seek to represent. Qualified electors shall only elect a councilman from within the ward where they reside. Removal of a council member from one ward to another within the City after his election, or a change in ward boundaries, shall not disqualify him from completing the terms for which he was elected.

There shall be no primary election but only a general election, herein called “election.” 

Council Vacancies: 

When a vacancy occurs in an office of the mayor or a member of the city council, the governing body shall appoint, by a majority vote of the remaining members, a person to fill the vacancy until the next general municipal election and to serve until a successor is elected and qualified. Any vacancy shall then be filled at the next general municipal election by the election of a person to complete the balance of any unexpired term. If the vacancy has not been filled within 60 days after it occurs, the governing body shall call for a special election for the purpose of filling the vacancy for the duration of the unexpired term, unless the said vacancy occurs or said the election would occur within 120 days prior to the first day of the filing for the next general municipal election. If a vacancy is not filled by the special election, it shall be filled by appointment as provided for in this subsection. 

When a majority of the offices of a governing body are vacant more than 60 days before the beginning of a regular filing period for general municipal elections, the remaining members of the governing body shall call for a special election to be held as soon as possible in the municipality for the purpose of filling all vacant offices for the remainder of the unexpired terms if the election is held more than 60 days before the beginning of the filing period for the general election. The governor may appoint residents of a municipality to fill the vacancies until the new officers are elected and qualified. If the vacancies are not filled by the election called for the purpose, the appointees of the governor may remain in office until the next general municipal election and until their successors are elected and qualified. 

In the event an election to fill a vacancy is held at a general municipal election, then said election for the vacancy shall be conducted separately from other elections. Candidates who file for elections of the vacant council position or mayor's position shall be ineligible to be candidates for other positions occurring at the same election

Absentee Ballots: 

Absentee ballots shall be provided for any City election conducted by the Canadian County Election Board. Absentee ballots shall be prescribed and utilized as established by the Oklahoma State Constitution and law.