2026 Election Preview: What Stillwater Voters Need to Know

Stillwater-area voters will cast ballots multiple times in 2026, starting with a mayoral race, school board election, and special legislative race in February, followed by state legislative and federal races in November.

Mayoral and school board filing

Candidate filing for both Stillwater mayor and Stillwater Public Schools Board of Education opens Dec. 1-3 at the Payne County Election Board offices, 315 W. 6th Ave., Suite 207. Filing runs from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

Mayor Will Joyce will seek a third term. The Oklahoma State University alum first won the office in 2018 following a two-year stint on the city council. He secured reelection in 2022 with 73.5 percent of the vote against challenger Marc Trotter.

The school board election will fill board position No. 1, which carries a five-year term and represents Ward 1. Candidates must reside within Ward 1 boundaries, though all voters within the Stillwater Public Schools district boundaries are eligible to vote in the election.

Rachel Dillin currently holds the seat. She was appointed by the board in 2023 to replace longtime board member Camille DeYong, who stepped down for personal reasons. Dillin will seek election to retain the seat, which would be her first campaign.

Both the mayoral and school board races are scheduled for Feb. 10, 2026. If three or more candidates file for the school board position, a primary election will be held Feb. 10. If only two candidates file, or if no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote in the primary, a general election will be held April 7, 2026.

Voters must register by Jan. 16 to participate in the Feb. 10 elections. Early voting runs Feb. 5-6 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with polls open election day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Special election follows Burns resignation

Five Republicans and one Democrat are vying to replace former Rep. Ty Burns, who resigned Oct. 1 after pleading guilty to misdemeanor domestic violence charges.

Burns, of Pawnee, pleaded guilty in Pawnee County District Court to one count of domestic abuse and two counts of assault. He received a one-year suspended sentence and must complete a 52-week batterer's intervention program.

"It is in the best interest of the people I serve in House District 35 and, most importantly, my family to step down from my position," Burns wrote in his resignation letter to Gov. Kevin Stitt. "I take full responsibility for my actions and am going to counseling with my family."

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House District 35 candidates

Republicans Kevin Wright, Amber Roberts, Dillon Travis, Mike Waters and James Winn are competing in the special primary scheduled for Dec. 9. Only registered Republicans can vote in the primary. The voter registration deadline for the Dec. 9 primary was Nov. 14. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff will be held Jan. 13, 2026. Voters have until Dec. 19 to register for a potential runoff.

Democrat Luke Kruse will face the Republican nominee in the special general election on Feb. 10, 2026. Registered Republicans, Democrats, independents and Libertarians can all vote in the general election. Voters must register by Jan. 16 to participate. Early voting runs Feb. 5-6 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with polls open election day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The winner will serve the remainder of Burns' term but must run again in November 2026 to keep the seat for a full two-year term.

House District 35 covers Noble and Pawnee counties and portions of Osage County (left). Stillwater's precinct 5 is the only portion of the city within the district (right). Maps: Oklahoma House of Representatives Redistricting Office and Oklahoma State Election Board

While most of Stillwater falls within House District 34, precinct 5 in the city's northern tip is part of District 35 and includes 559 registered voters, according to the Oklahoma State Election Board. Precinct 5 voters cast ballots at Sunnybrook Christian Church, 419 Richmond Road.

In Burns' 2022 race, precinct 5 favored him with 196 votes to Democrat Sam Jennings' 101, a 66-34 split. Burns won the district with more than 78 percent of the vote and ran unopposed in 2024.

House District 33 and 34

HD 34 Rep. Trish Ranson, D-Stillwater, announced her reelection campaign on Nov. 16. HD 33 Rep. Molly Jenkins has not publicly announced her reelection campaign but her website indicates she will.

The filing period for all House District reps opens April 1-3, 2026, with the general election scheduled for Nov. 3, 2026. Voters must register by Oct. 9 to participate in the general election.

Federal races

U.S. Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Oklahoma, is seeking his first full six-year term after winning a 2022 special election to fill the remainder of former Sen. Jim Inhofe's term. Mullin, a Cherokee Nation citizen, became the first Native American senator since Ben Nighthorse Campbell retired in 2005.

U.S. Rep. Frank Lucas, R-Cheyenne, is seeking reelection to represent Oklahoma's 3rd Congressional District, which includes Stillwater and covers nearly half the state's land mass. Lucas, an Oklahoma State University graduate who has represented the district since 2003, serves as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee's Conservation, Research, and Biotechnology Subcommittee.

All five of Oklahoma's U.S. House seats are on the ballot in 2026.

The filing period for federal offices opens April 1-3, 2026, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Oklahoma State Election Board. Primary elections are scheduled for June 16, 2026, with the general election on Nov. 3, 2026.

2026 Election Timeline