Category Archives: Election

Paragould voters speak out on election day

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By Courtney Edwards
Delta Digital News Service

PARAGOULD, Ark. — Voting in this year’s presidential election was unlike anything the nation had ever seen before during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Photo by Courtney Edwards

There was a record number in absentee ballots cast. Some voters in Paragould said that it made it easier for those who did show up at the polls on election day.

“This is the easiest I’ve ever voted before,” Paragould voter J.J. Qualls said. “Normally, there’s lines and lines and it takes an hour or two, but I walked right in and came out five minutes later. I don’t know if it’s been like this all day or what, but it’s amazing.”

Although the pandemic may have made the line at the polls shorter, the nation’s voter turnout has increased by over 2% compared to the 2016 general election, according to the Washington Post. Out of the voting eligible population, 62.4% voted in the 2020 election as of Nov. 4, compared to 60.1% from 2016.

President Donald Trump won the state of Arkansas in the 2020 presidential election with 62.6% of votes. However, former Vice President Joe Biden won the presidential election with 290 electoral votes as of Nov. 7, according to the Associated Press.

Arkansas’s results may have been disappointing for Paragould voter, Wilburn McCracken, but the national results were still in his favor.

“We definitely need a change. The one we have is just too rambunctious and too radical,” McCracken said.  “He doesn’t have sensibility for the little man, and we need somebody who will represent everybody.”

Mayoral candidate, Josh Agee was recently elected as Mayor of Paragould on Nov. 3. Jonathan Walker, a voter from Paragould, said he was excited to see the results of the mayoral election.

“I liked [Agee’s] energy and I liked how prepared he was for everything, so we’ll see how he does,” Walker said.

Along with the presidential election, Arkansas ballots included three proposed constitutional amendments to decide:

Issue 1: 0.5% permanent sales tax for state highways, country roads, city streets, bridges, and other surface transportations.

 

Issue 2: Arkansas term limits amendment to eliminate life-time term limits and prohibit legislators from serving more than 12 years in a row but allow them to serve for 12 more after four years have passed.

 

Issue 3: Change the date when voter signatures are due for statewide ballot measures from four months ahead of the election to Jan. 15 of the election year, increase the number of counties where voter signatures must be collected from 15 to 45, establish Apr. 15 of the election year as the deadline for filing lawsuits challenging statewide ballot measures, and eliminate the cure period for local ballot measures if the first found of signatures does not meet the threshold.

Issue 1 and 2 were approved on Nov. 3, but Issue 3 was not approved.

Residents in Paragould generally were not worried about disturbances from the public after the election results were announced, but nationally no one knows what could happen. Retailers all over the nation have been preparing for unrest after the election since October.

“I’m not so much worried here, in our little, small town, but throughout the United States, I’m scared there are going to be some bad things that happen,” Kelly Gibson, a voter from Paragould, said.

In Little Rock, police said they had an operation plan in place with how they would respond if civil unrest took place. Portland, Philadelphia, and Minneapolis are among cities which have already seen unrest as of Nov. 4, before the election results were even released. Fox News reported that many of the protests were being led by Black Lives Matter movements.

“The past several presidencies have really caused a lot of tension from right and left,” Walker said. “But I think here in Arkansas everybody seems to get along for the most part.”

Note: Featured photo by Courtney Edwards

Voters flock to the polls for early voting

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By Yu Bai
Delta Digital News Service

JONESBORO, Ark. – Early voting in Arkansas began on Monday, October 19.

As polls closed on Monday, November 2, over 17,000 people have turned out to vote early in Jonesboro.

A sign displayed at the Jonesboro City Annex encourages everyone to vote. Photo by Yu Bai

“If you wait until the last day, and you could run into instance where there could be errors like machines done or power goes out,” said Nathan Coleman, of Jonesboro Police Department.

According to data from the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office, there are around 22,100 eligible residents that voted early in 2016. In contrast, the number of early voters this year is much lower.

Craighead County has more than 15 voting locations in the county, and because there are no locations assigned, voters can vote wherever they please.

In the city Jonesboro, the Craighead County Election Annex on Jefferson Street is the selected location for early voting.

New candidates and elected officials can also place their names on the ballot in the city of Jonesboro municipal election.

Issues such as term limits for certain positions are on the ballot.

“The term limits are important because I will only serve two terms, but my opponents are not for that. I also want the pay rise during the first year for the term, ” said incumbent Jonesboro Deputy Clerk Stan Mitchell.

President Donald Trump has already received the endorsement of the local Fraternal Order of the Police.

“He actually received all 50 states endorsements from FOP, and it’s obviously the first time in the history that one candidate received all of them,” Coleman said.

Voters have to bring a picture I.D. to cast their ballots. Once the voter’s information is verified, each voter will receive a card with a bar code and stylus. The card is used to upload the voter’s unique ballot to the screen.

Once the voters make a choice, they will receive a new code card. Voters will be instructed to put it in another machine when leaving the voting building.

In Jonesboro, there are total of 20 voting machines that include two machines for disabled people.

In order to ensure a safe social distance, only 20 people are allowed to enter the voting hall at the same time.

Monday, November 2, was the last day to return your absentee ballots.

Note: Featured photo by Yu Bai

Candidates Debate at APA SuperConvention 

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2018 Arkansas gubernatorial candidates

Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R), Democratic candidate Jared Henderson and Libertarian candidate Mark West prepare for the first gubernatorial debate of the year during the Arkansas Press Association’s 2018 SuperConvention. Moderator Rusty Turner provided questions about proposed work requirements for Medicaid recipients, reduced tax rates for affluent citizens, teacher pay, legislative scandals, highway funding and Sunshine Law support.

Voters Give Officials More Time

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by Kirsten May
Courtesy of A-State Department of Media

Arkansas voters passed an amendment to the Arkansas Constitution that will lengthen term limits for elected county officials from two years to four years. As Kirsten May explains, people in those positions think this will help them be more effective.

JONESBORO — Now even though the new term limits won’t go into effect until 2019, Craighead County Sheriff Marty Boyd said he is excited about what that means for the future of county officials.

“It’s going to be a great benefit to the operations of any department because you can set some long-term goals. Where in the past, just having a two-year office, it made it seem like you were always campaigning,” he said.

Boyd said he hopes the longer terms will let officials dig deeper to accomplish bigger goals, especially in a county that has a 2 percent annual growth rate. He said there are some things you just can’t get done in two years.

“Even though I know economically we can’t obtain maybe as many deputies as we want in the next 12 months, but I can look at the long-range plan and say in five years here is where we need to be,” Boyd said.

He said another benefit is being able to cut costs.

“Elections are expensive. I wish they weren’t, but in this day and time it takes a lot to run a successful campaign. Having to do that every two years, you get tired of the process and your supporters get tired of the process,” Boyd said.

There is also a better sense of job security for those in the department.

“It puts them in a better workplace knowing that they have at least four years to look at instead of two,” Boyd said.

Sheriff Boyd said there has been some concern about having an official in office that long. But he said as long as you research your candidates and know who you’re voting for before the election, that shouldn’t be a problem.

Issue 1 also states certain county officials cannot be appointed or elected to another civil office, and it allows unopposed candidates to be elected without their name appearing on the ballot.

UPDATE: Turnout for Cannabis Issues Doubtful

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by Kirsten May
Courtesy of A-State Department of Media

JONESBORO — Arkansas voters will see five issues on their ballot this year, including two different proposals about medical marijuana. ASU TV’s Kirsten May reports on differences in the proposals and how they might affect the state election.

Issue 6 is the Medical Marijuana Amendment. Issue 7 is the Medical Cannabis Act. They would both make marijuana legal for medicinal purposes, but political science professor William McClean said there are important differences between the two.

“Issue 6 I think probably has the better chance of passing than Issue 7. (Issue 6 is) a little more restrictive,” he said.

The Medical Marijuana Amendment allows about 20 medical conditions to be treated with cannabis, whereas Issue 7 covers nearly 60 conditions. It would also be easier to add more diagnoses to that list on Issue 7.

“You can amend an act without going back to the voters, so without amending the Constitution again,” McClean said.

There is also a provision in Issue 7 to let anyone living further than 20 miles from a dispensary to grow their own marijuana.

“People become kind of wary about the ‘Not In My Back Yard’ syndrome, I don’t want my next-door neighbor growing marijuana around my children,” he said.

This is not the first time medical marijuana has been on the ballot. Arkansans nearly passed a similar proposal four years ago.

“That was a surprising outcome as a political scientist given the conservative nature of the state, that it came as close to passing as it did,” McClean said.

Craighead County Clerk Kade Holliday thinks more people know about the cannabis proposals on the ballot this time around.

“There’s a lot of debate about, you know, the two different ones, all the differences between them. They’re definitely the most talked about,” he said.

But Holliday and McClean both agree the people most likely to vote for the proposals — young people and college students — aren’t as likely to go cast a ballot.

“We had right at 6,270 people registered in that (18-24) demographic. Now of that demographic, only about 38 percent of that demographic turn out to vote,” Holliday said.

“I think it has a low chance of passing,” McClean said. “Most of the polls show about 80 percent of Arkansans are in favor of some form of medical marijuana. However, it’s probably going to be a low turnout election. Young voters are not very excited about either presidential candidate.”

Both men say what’s important is letting your voice be heard, whichever way you vote for these issues.

McClean said if both pass, the Constitution states the issue with the most votes will take effect. (UPDATE: The Arkansas Supreme Court disqualified Issue 7 from the ballot on Oct. 27, three days after early voting started.)