Election Officials Warn Voters Re Bogus Polling Place Texts

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma State Election Board Secretary Paul Ziriax issued an urgent voter alert today, warning voters about a text message that was circulating, falsely claiming that a voter’s polling place had changed. The complaint has been referred by election officials to law enforcement.

The text message falsely advised the voter that her polling place had changed, then asked the voter to reply to the text to confirm her name. It then provided a phone number to call to be removed from the notification list. The phone number provided in the text message is reportedly for a male escort service.

“Disinformation about the voting process is a real threat. Voters should be very cautious about phone calls, emails, social media posts and text messages containing false information about elections – and report suspicious communications to election officials immediately,” Ziriax said.

Polling place changes are rare in Oklahoma, and when they occur affected voters are notified by the County Election Board through the U.S. Mail. “Election officials will never contact you by text message to tell you your polling place has changed,” Ziriax said.

Voters should use the OK Voter Portal on the State Election Board’s website, located at https://www.ok.gov/elections/OVP.html, or contact their county election board to find or verify their polling place.