Okla. Stat. tit. 22, § 22-601a: Alternate jurors - Challenges - Oath or affirmation -

Attendance upon trial.

Whenever in the opinion of the court the trial of a cause is

likely to be a protracted one, the court may, immediately after the

jury is impaneled and sworn, direct the calling of as many as two

additional jurors to be known as "alternate juror". Such alternate

jurors shall be drawn from the same source, and in the same manner,

and have the same qualifications as regular jurors, and be subject

to examination and challenge as such jurors, except that the state

shall be allowed one peremptory challenge to each alternate juror,

and all parties defendant shall together, or any one party defendant

for and on behalf and by the consent of all parties defendant, be

allowed one peremptory challenge to each alternate juror.

The alternate jurors shall be sworn (or affirmed) to well and

truly try and true deliverance make of all issues finally submitted

to them as jurors in said cause, if any such issue shall be so

finally submitted to them, and shall be seated near the regular

jurors with equal facilities for seeing and hearing the proceedings

in the cause, shall attend at all times upon the trial of the cause

in company with the regular jurors and shall obey all orders and

admonitions of the court; and if the regular jurors are ordered to

be kept in the custody of an officer during the trial of the cause,

the alternate jurors shall also be kept with the other jurors, and,

except as hereinafter provided, shall be discharged upon the final

submission of the cause to the jury.

If, before the final submission of the cause to the jury, a

regular juror, or two regular jurors, shall be discharged because of

illness, or shall die, the court shall order one or both alternate

jurors, as circumstances may require, to take their places in the

jury box. After an alternate juror is in the jury box, he shall be

subject to the same regulations and requirements as other regular

jurors.