By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
With much of State Senate District 22 in Yukon and Piedmont, 13 eastern Canadian County precincts will be open for next Tuesday’s special primary election.
One Yukon candidate and three Edmond candidates want to complete an unexpired term in the Oklahoma State Senate vacated by Republican Stephanie Bice, who was elected to Congress.
District 22 is comprised of northern Oklahoma County and eastern Canadian County, including parts of Yukon, Piedmont, Edmond, and Deer Creek.
Two names are on the Republican ballot and two names are on the Democrat ballot for the Feb. 9th Senate District 22 special primary election.
Republican voters will choose between Jake A. Merrick, 39, of NW 100th Street in Yukon; and Keri Shipley, 48, of Water Oak Circle in Edmond.
Merrick has owned several small businesses and Shipley has been a staffer in the state House of Representatives.
Merrick: “Essential freedoms are being challenged daily. It’s time to take a stand and say no more abortion, no more human trafficking, no more school closures, no more shutdowns, no more mandates. … Liberty is always a target and must be defended.”
Shipley: “I’m running to be a voice and advocate for the people of Senate District 22. Our community needs a strong leader to stand up for our interests – not special interests. …. We need conservative leaders in state government who stand strong for Oklahoma’s values.”
Democrat voters will decide between Dylan Billings, 31, of Foxfire Road in Edmond; and Molly Ooten, 31, of NW 189th Terrace in Edmond.
Billings is a political science instructor and Ooten is a speech pathologist.
Billings: “People are struggling. And they’re looking for somebody to fight for them. They don’t care about these conspiracy theories. They care about how they’re going to get food on the table. They care about how they’re going to pay their electricity bill.”
Ooten: “One of the reasons I want to be involved in politics is that I really love connecting with people. I really do love visiting with people. … Education, health care and community issues – each of these is really personal to me. I’m really passionate because I have a background that has made me more emphatic to these types of situations.”
NOT OVER FEB. 9
The top-vote getters from each political party in the Feb. 9th primary with face off in the April 6 general election.
The winner will then take office to finish the final 21 months of an unexpired four-year term in the 48-member Oklahoma State Senate.
The victor will succeed Bice, who served Senate District 22 from 2014-20. Bice defeated incumbent Democrat Kendra Bice to earn a two-year term representing Oklahoma’s 5th Congressional District.
These Canadian County precincts will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9:
200 – Surrey Hills Baptist Church, 12421 N Mustang Road in Yukon
204 – Yukon First Church of the Nazarene, 525 E Main in Yukon
206 – Bethel Community Church (Bradford Family Life Center), 4901 N Sara Road in Yukon
208 – Yukon First United Methodist Church, 400 Elm in Yukon
209 – Yukon Fine Arts Auditorium, 850 Yukon Ave. in Yukon
214 – Town & Country Christian Church, 2200 S Cornwell in Yukon
216 – Yukon Church, 11715 NW 10th St. in Yukon
217 – Covenant Community Church, 2250 Yukon Parkway in Yukon
218 – Discovery Church, 900 E Main in Yukon
220 – Dale Robertson Center, 1200 Lakeshore in Yukon
503 – Light Your World Church, 4550 NW Expressway in Okarche
504 – Piedmont United Methodist Church, 2525 N Piedmont Road in Piedmont
506 – Piedmont First Baptist Church, 15 Jackson Ave. NW in Piedmont
Only registered voters within State Senate District 22 are eligible to cast their ballots in this special election.
Early voting will be 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday, Feb. 4-5; and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6 at the Canadian County Election Board office, 200 S Bickford in El Reno.
For more information, call the election board at (405) 422-2422 or check the Online Voter Tool at www.elections.ok.gov.
