By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
With surging voter registration numbers in Canadian County, two companies are vying for the chance to print the county’s election ballots in 2023.
Canadian County now has more than 95,000 registered voters, an increase of 7.3% since November 2020.
As Canadian County Election Board personnel coordinated early voting and prepared for the Nov. 8th general election, Canadian County Commissioners on Monday morning opened bids for an annual ballot printing contract.
Midwest Printing Co. of Sapulpa and Royal Printing Co. of Oklahoma City submitted unit prices for regular, absentee and sample ballots (printed on white paper).
Both vendors are familiar bidders who compete for Canadian County’s ballot printing contracts.
Ballot sizes are 8.5 by 14 inches, 8.5 by 17 inches and 8.5 by 19 inches.
Midwest Printing bid 13.5 cents for 14-inch ballots, 14 cents for 17-inch ballots and 15 cents for 19-inch ballots.
Midwest Printing proposed added costs for color (yellow, pink or ivory) paper – 1 cent for 14-inch ballots, 1.5 cents for 17-inch ballots and 2 cents for 19-inch ballots.
Royal Printing bid 14.5 cents for 14-inch ballots, 15.5 cents for 17-inch ballots and 15.5 cents for 19-inch ballots.
Royal Printing did not propose any additional cost for color distinction.
“We tabled the item indefinitely to allow Canadian County Election Board officials time to review the bids,” District 3 Commissioner Jack Stewart said.
Canadian County Commissioners are expected to award the ballot printing contract at an upcoming weekly meeting, as early as Nov. 14.
Two other vendors, Tulsa Administrative Services and Mercury Press, submitted “no bids.”
Midwest Printing printed the ballots that the Canadian County Election Board has being using during this busy 2022 election season.
Midwest Printing and Royal Printing also were the only two vendors who bid on the 2022 ballot printing contract.
ODDS ‘N ENDS …
In other business at their weekly meeting Nov. 7, Canadian County Commissioners approved:
- An asphalt road project along a mile of N.W. 164th about 720 feet east of Courtney Road to Fort Reno Road in District 1. Commissioner Marc Hader’s crews previously reconstructed one mile east of Calumet Road.
- Authoring the Oklahoma Department of Transportation to pay $7,044 to Smith Roberts Land Services for right-of-way acquisition services on a concrete box bridge project at Jensen and Walbaum roads, 2-1/2 miles south of Cherokee Trading Post.
- Acknowledging Kimberly Killman and Heather Dunavin as requisitioning officers and Maria Roberson and Tamara Storrs as receiving officers for the Canadian County Health Department.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Stewart reported on an upcoming state highway project that will cross through Canadian County.
On Nov. 17, ODOT will opened contractor bids for a road weather information system project on Interstate 40 from the Texas to Arkansas state lines.
Some 150 days have been allotted for the project, which will cover 13 counties including Canadian County.
The Oklahoma Transportation Commission is due to award the contract at its Dec. 5th meeting.
