Early voting begins Monday for the primary election set for May 22nd. With the 2018 election cycle come a number of changes, including unopposed candidates not appearing on the ballot for the first time, school board candidates joining the primary and a requirement for voters to bring a photo ID to the polls.
Just last week the state’s Supreme Court gave election authorities the green light to proceed with the voter ID, after a lower court had blocked the law on April 26th.
Baxter County and Circuit Clerk Canda Reese says there are a number of ways voters can meet the requirement with a state or federal issued photo ID.
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Reese says photo IDs expired no longer than four years may also be used to meet the requirement.
For those who do not have a state or federal issued photo ID and still want to cast a ballot, Reese says there are provisions.
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In Baxter County, the only location for early voting is the courthouse. Hours for early voting are 8:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays.
Early voting ends at 5:00 p.m. on May 21st.
In Marion County, vote centers have been adopted and approved by the Arkansas Secretary of State. With the change, early voting will continue at the courthouse May 7th through May 21st. In addition, early voting will be available at the Bull Shoals City Hall vote center May 14th through May 18th from 8:00 a.m. through 6:00 p.m. and at the Lazy Acres firehouse on May 21st from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Voters in other counties should consult their respective county clerk’s office for hours, days and locations for early voting.
Early voting for the May 22nd primary is for several elections.
Traditionally, primary elections are a time when the Republican and Democrat parties nominate their candidates for the general election set for November 6th. Voters may select a ballot for either party. Registration with the party for the ballot selected is not a requirement.
The May 22nd primary also serves as the general election for nonpartisan judicial races in the state, including judges and prosecutors. A voter can participate in this election whether or not he votes in a party primary. Everyone in the state will vote in the open Supreme Court seat.
In addition, for the first time school districts had the option of attaching their election to either the primary or general election. Almost all districts in the KTLO, Classic Hits and The Boot listening area have chosen to participate in the primary. School millage renewals also will appear on the ballot.
Unopposed candidates for all elections will no longer appear in a long list at the end of the ballot, per a new state law, but can be found online.
A list of contested races in the KTLO, Classic Hits and The Boot listening area is available at Election Central at Election CentralKTLO.com.
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