Early voting opens in primary election

Early voting opens across Arkansas on Monday, and in Hempstead County voters will begin to cast votes in primary elections that will feature numerous locally contested races on the May 18 ballot.

Hempstead County Clerk Sandra Rodgers said Friday the early voting period will last for two weeks prior to the Democrat and Republican parties preferential primary elections, and will include early voting for the non-partisan judicial elections to be conducted at the same time.

“This year, early voting will be held in the conference room located on the first floor of the courthouse,” Rodgers said.

She said early voting hours will be from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturdays during the period ending May 17. Rodgers said the county clerk's office will also remain open during those hours for the next two weeks.

“The deadline to register to vote in the May primary has ended; however, should we have a run-off election, May 9 is the deadline to register to vote for the primary run-off election to be held June 8,” she said.

Rodgers said the county is also participating in a new “voter view” system established online by the Arkansas Secretary of State's Office which allows voters to review sample ballots via the Internet.

“Polly Lingo has done an outstanding job of putting our ballots in Voter View,” Rodgers said. “Voters can now go online at the Secretary of State's website sos.arkansas.gov and click on the 'elections' icon, then click on 'voter information.' Next, click on Voter View, and a screen will appear in which they will enter their name and date of birth. When that information is entered, it will pull up the ballot choices that area available to that voter.”

Rodgers said voters can then click on each ballot and view it in sample.

At the top of the primary ballot in contested races set for May 18 Beth Anne Rankin, a Republican from Magnolia, and a former Miss Arkansas who was an aide to former governor Mike Huckabee, and Hot Springs businessman Glenn Gallas will vie for the GOP nod to oppose four term Congressman Mike Ross, a Democrat, in the Fourth Congressional District in the fall.

In contested state races, State Representative Steve Harrelson, of Texarkana, and businessman Ken Cowling, of Foreman, are both running as Democrats in Arkansas Senate District 21, which includes Spring Hill.

Locally, attorneys John Collins and Mark Gunter and Eighth Judicial District-North Chief Deputy Prosecutor Christi McQueen will vie for the Democrat nomination as prosecuting attorney.

Hempstead County Sheriff's Chief Deputy James Singleton and former county chief deputy Curtis Haines have both filed as Democrats for county sheriff; while Hempstead County Deputy Treasurer Holly Bobo, a Republican, and Hope resident Judy Lee, a Democrat, have filed for the county treasurer's post.

Former county sheriff Don Worthy and current Hempstead County Chief Deputy Coroner Ben Brazzel have both filed as Democrats for the coroner's job; and, Hempstead County Chief Deputy Circuit Clerk Gail Wolfenbarger and Anita Tompkins, county judge's administrative assistant, have both filed as Democrats for the circuit clerk's post.

The sudden death of Hempstead County District 10 JP Randy Morris left his seat vacant, but his son, Todd Morris, and another Bingen-area resident, Jay Lathrop, have both filed as Democrats for the post. Lathrop challenged the elder Morris in 2008.

The remaining contested primary race among Quorum Court members is in District 5, where incumbent JP Olen Dorman is being challenged by Nicholas Ward, who ran against District 7 JP Larry Byers in 2004. Both filed as Democrats.