Tuesday, April 29, 2008; Posted 1.57 pm (CDT)

Oklahoma election boards began preparations for the November election months in advance. County and state election board officials don't seem the slightest bit worried because they say Oklahoma has the best system in the nation.

"I think it'll probably be the largest turnout that we've had," says Oklahoma County Election Secretary Doug Sanderson.

Come November fourth, election board officials say they'll be overwhelmed with voters trying to cast their ballots.

"We're looking at a pretty significant turnout, so it'll tax all of our resources," says Sanderson. "Everything you do is magnified multiple times over: more voters, more voter registration, more people applying for absentee ballots."

That could mean the perfect opportunity for voter fraud. The bad news is voter fraud isn't picked up until days or even weeks after an election. The good news is that grand-scale voter fraud is highly unlikely.

"The type of fraud we discuss when we talk about at the polls is very rare because you'd have to have such a conspiracy to change an election," says Oklahoma State Election Board Secretary Michael Clingman.

Absentee ballots are actually the most common form of voter fraud.

"You'll have a large number of votes coming from the same location, and there's always the question of whether someone is picking up people's ballots out of the mailboxes or doing something else to pay people for votes," says Clingman.

It may take a while, but because of the way voter history is done, those breaking the law will eventually be found.

"It's something we take very seriously, obviously, because we want people to have confidence in integrity of election and there can be severe penalties," says Sanderson.

"It's the best system because you have the actual evidence of a voter's vote: that piece of paper," says Clingman. "That's why we like it the best, but it does kill a lot of trees."

Election boards turn over possible voter fraud to the district attorney's office. According to Oklahoma statutes, voter fraud is a felony and offenders face a maximum of two years in prison and a $5,000 fine.

The current system for Oklahoma has been in place since 1991. Officials say they'll be upgrading their system next year, and there will be a way for those with disabilities to vote unassisted.