Election Commission, County Clerk release ballots for upcoming vote

Election Commission, County Clerk release ballots for upcoming vote

Party primaries, school board, judicial elections will be held May 22

ralphhardin@gmail.com Election season is in full swing around the nation, across the state and right here in Crittenden County.

Voters will head to the polls on Tuesday, May 22, to cast their ballots in a number of local races, including all county offices and a number of other seats as office-seeking candidates will vie for votes.

Starting at the top, local Republicans will have the opportunity to decide between incumbent Governor Asa Hutchinson and challenger for the GOP nomination Jan Morgan. The winner in that race will face the winner of the Democratic primary in November.

The gubernatorial candidates for the Democrats are Jared K. Henderson and Leticia Sanders.

Democratic voters in Arkansas Senate District 24 will also have to choose between an incumbent and a contender. State Senator Keith Ingram is being challenged for the nomination by Turrell Mayor Dorothy Cooper. The winner of the primary will ostensibly win the seat, as no other major party candidates have filed to run in November.

A little closer to home, two Democrats are seeking the Crittenden County Treasurer’s Office. Matt Thompson and Lavonda Taylor are both vying for votes in that race. In Quorum Court JP District 7, incumbent Justice Ronnie Marconi is facing Kyle Watkins in a primary showdown. And in JP District 12, Cynthia Barnes Lucas and Sherry Holliman are the candidates for an open seat, as Justice Hubert Bass is not seeking re-election.

Arkansas will also be holding a Republican Primary for Secretary of State. The nomination will come down to State Representative Trevor Down and Commissioner of State Lands John Thurston. Current Secretary of State Mark Martin is term-limited and can not seek reelection.

In the non-partisan juducial elections, the only contested race for local voters to weigh in on is the State Supreme Court Associate Justice Position 3 seat, currently held by Justice Courtney Goodson, who is facing a pair of challengers, Judge Kenneth Hixson and David Sterling.

West Memphis and Marion are both also holding school board elections in May, a shift from holding separate school board elections in September mandated by a new law passed by the Arkansas State Legislature. There are no contested races, but voters will have the opportunity to vote for or against continuing the school millage in West Memphis (29 mills) and Marion (40.7 mills).

All other county officers are running unopposed or will not be facing opposing candidates until the November elections, where a number of municipal races will also be decided. Polls will be open on Election Day, Tuesday, May 22, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., following a two-week Early and Absentee voting period that ends on Monday, May 21. The last day to register to vote in the upcoming primary, school board and judicial elections is this Friday, April 20. To register to vote in Arkansas, you must be a citizen of the United States, a resident of Arkansas, at least 18 years old by the date of the next election.

Even if you meet the requirements above, you can not register to vote if you are convicted of a felony and currently serving incarceration, parole, probation,

or have been judged mentally incompetent by a court with jurisdiction in Arkansas.

By Ralph Hardin