Alva Review-Courier -

I want to continue to remind everyone that even though Oklahoma has moved into Phase 3 of the governor’s plan to open up our state and our economy, the COVID-19 virus has not gone away. Please continue to follow health guidelines on hygiene, including frequently washing your hands, self-isolating if you feel sick or have been in contact with someone who has tested positive.

If you are running a fever, coughing and/or having trouble breathing, or if you’ve been in contact with someone with COVID-19, please get tested. Call your health care provider or call your county health department to make an appointment for testing. In Beaver County, call 580-625-3693; in Harper County, call 580-921-2029; Major County, 580-227-3362; Texas County, which also serves Cimarron County, 580-338-8544; in Woods County, 580-327-3192; and in Woodward County, which also serves Ellis and Dewey Counties, call 580-256-6416.

Please keep in mind we have a primary election coming up. Voting is a privilege people in countries around the world are denied, so please take advantage of your right to have a say in your government. If going to the polls concerns you during this pandemic, you can go online to the State Election Board website to request an absentee ballot. Your request must be submitted by 5 p.m. on the Tuesday before the election throughout the election cycle. You can request an absentee ballot application online at https://www.ok.gov/elections/Voter_Info/Absentee_Voting/index.html, or you can call your county election board. The deadline to submit an absentee ballot request for the upcoming June 30 primary is June 23, but if you miss that deadline, you can still request an absentee ballot application for the run-off and/or general elections for 2020.

I also want to remind our state retirees that the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) we approved in the 2020 session will take effect beginning July. This marks the first COLA in 12 years for our retired teachers, law enforcement, firefighters, social workers and thousands of other state retirees who devoted their lives to public service. This COLA is possible because of the important reforms and investments the Legislature made over the past several years.

Lastly, the U.S. 2020 Census is still underway. Remember that billions of dollars are distributed to cities, counties and states each year based on the population as determined by the census, so please do your part and fill out the census so that we get our fair share for roads, hospitals, schools and many other core services.

As of June 17, the national average response rate was 61.5%, and for Oklahoma, it was 55.9%. Looking at the counties in Senate District 27:

Beaver - 33.7%

Cimarron - 31.0%

Dewey - 35.3%

Ellis - 35.1%

Harper - 39.2%

Major - 54.3%

Texas - 45.2%

Woods - 50.7%

Woodward - 50.5%

Among local communities:

Beaver - 37.4%

Boise City - 34.4%

Seiling - 32.3%

Shattuck - 37.4%

Buffalo - 40.1%

Fairview - 60.2%

Guymon - 51.8%

Alva - 52.8%

Woodward - 53.5%

It only takes a few minutes to complete the census, and you can respond by mail, over the phone by calling 1-844-330-2020, or online at 2020census.gov.

It is my honor to serve you in the Oklahoma State Senate. You can reach me by calling 405-521-5626 or emailing [email protected].