County voters will head to the polls in 2018
County voters will head to the polls in 2018
State, county, local races to be decided
ralphhardin@gmail.com After an “off” year in 2017, it’s election season once again. This year will see a full slate of state and county offices up for grabs, as well as a number of local races at stake.
All seven of Arkansas’s constitutional offices will be contested. Governor Asa Hutchinson is seeking reelection to a second term.
Hutchinson was elected in 2014, beating out Democrat Mike Ross with 55 percent of the vote. Hutchinson is being challenged in the Republican Primary by Jan Morgan. In the Democratic Primary Jared Henderson has announced his candidacy. Libertarian Mark West has also announced he would be seeking the office as well.
Primaries will also be held for the offices of Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Auditor, State Treasurer, and State Commissioner of Public Lands.
Neither U.S. Senator John Boozman nor U.S. Senator Tom Cotton are facing reelection in 2018. All four U.S. Representatives, however, are, District 1 Congressman Rick Crawford has no declared challengers within his own Republican party at this time. At least two Democrats, Robert Butler and Chintan Desai, have declared their candidacies for the May primary. Congressman French Hill (R-District 2), Congressman Steve Womack (RDistrict 3), and Congressman Bruce Westerman (R-District 4) have all declared their intentions to seek re-election.
In the State Senate, Crittenden County is part of Senate District 24, Sen. Keith Ingram (D-West Memphis) is expected to seek re-election to that seat. Two legislative districts include parts of Crittenden County.
All 100 State House seats are up for grabs in 2018.
Both Rep. Milton Nicks (D-District 50) and Rep.
Deborah Ferguson (D-District 51) are expected to seek re-election.
All county offices will be up for re-election this year as well, including County Judge, Sheriff, County Clerk, County Assessor, County Coroner, Tax Collector and Circuit Clerk.
County Judge Woody Wheeless and Sheriff Mike Allen have declared their intentions to seek re-election. Also being contested are all 13 seats on the Crittenden County Quorum Court, as well as all County Constables.
On the municipal level, all city and town council seats are up for election, with the exception of Earle, Marion, and West Memphis, who will have Position 1 in each of their wards contested this election cycle. Also, the mayor’s seat will be up for grabs in all Crittenden County municipalities.
The preferential primaries for Arkansas have been moved back to the spring.
In the 2016 elections, the state moves primary elections to February to increase Arkansas’s relevance to the presidential primary races. This year, the Party Filing Period begins at noon on Thursday, Feb. 22.
(the Nonpartisan Filing Period begins at 3 p.m.) and ends at noon on Thursday, March 1 (3 p.m. for Nonpartisan Candidates).
Early voting for the Preferential Primary Election begins at 8:00 a.m. on Monday, May 7, and runs
through 4:30 p.m. on Monday, May 21.
Preferential Primary Elections will be held on Tuesday, May 22, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., along with the Nonpartisan General and Judiciary Elections.
One new twist to this year’s election cycle is the moving of School Board elections. Thanks to a law passed last year by the State Legislatures, School Board elections in Arkansas must now be held in conjunction with either the May primaries or the November general elections.
For unregistered voters, the deadline to apply to register to vote in the primaries is Sunday, April 22.
The General Election is Tuesday, Nov. 6. Polls will be open in Arkansas from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
By Ralph Hardin
