OKMULGEE, Okla. — A woman trying to get her name on the ballot for the Okmulgee County Commissioner Election said her eligibility is being contested.

Barbra Cooks said that she’s lived in Okmulgee all of her life.

When she got her paperwork in order to file she learned her voter registration was deactivated.

The Okmulgee County Election Board informed her that her voter registration was deactivated for not being used during a certain period of time. So she immediately filled out a registration form to get reactivated on April 14. Then when she went to submit all of her paperwork to file for commissioner, she had more surprises.

“You’re only a registered voter as of April 14,” she said they told her.

Now her eligibility is being contested. According to the Oklahoma eligibility requirements for County Commission: “a person must have been a registered voter and have maintained a current principal residence within the county for a six month period immediately proceeding the first day of filing.”

According to State Statute, Title 26 Section 4-120.2, after four years of being inactive, meaning not voting, the state mails a letter trying to keep the voter active. If after 60 days its not returned, they are deactivated or purged out the system.

However Cooks said she never received a deactivation notice.

Cooks has a court hearing about her eligibility on Monday.

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