Know Your Ballot

Know Your Ballot

With early voting on the horizon, get to know candidates, issues before heading to the polls

ralphhardin@gmail.com Election Day 2018 is just a few weeks away, but Crittenden County voters who want to beat the crowds on Tuesday, Nov. 6, can head to the Crittenden County Courthouse beginning Monday, Oct. 22, for early and absentee voting.

Early voting will be held from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All early voting will be held at the courthouse. An ID is required to vote both for early voting and on Election Day.

In Crittenden County, the candidates (by race and by ballot position) are:

U.S. Congress, District 1

Chintan Desai (Democrat) Congressman Rick Crawford (Republican) Elvis D. Presley (Libertarian) ***

Arkansas Governor

Mark West (Libertarian) Jared K. Henderson (Democrat) Governor Asa Hutchinson (Republican) ***

Lieutenant Governor

Anthony Bland (Democrat) Lt. Governor Tim Griffin (Republican) Frank Gilbert (Libertarian) ***

Attorney General

Attorney General Leslie Rutledge (Republican) Mike Lee (Democrat) Kerry Hicks (Libertarian) ***

Secretary of State

John Thurston, Commissioner of State Lands (Republican) Christopher Olson (Libertarian) Susan Inman (Democrat) ***

State Treasurer

Ashley Ewald (Libertarian) Treasurer of State Dennis Milligan (Republican) ***

Auditor of State

Auditor Andrea Lea (Republican) David E. Dinwiddie (Libertarian) ***

Commissioner of State Lands

Tommy Land (Republican) T.J. Campbell (Libertarian) Larry Williams (Democrat) ***

State Representative District 55

Gary Tobar (Republican) Representative Monte Hodges (Democrat) ***

State Supreme Court Associate Judge Position 3

State Supreme Court Justice Courtney Goodson (NPJ) David Sterling (NPJ) ***

Devin Griggs (Republican) Matt Thompson (Democrat) ***

Crittenden County Sheriff

Rob French (Republican) Sheriff Mike Allen (Democrat) ***

County Coroner

Dennis Smith (Republican) William L. Wolfe (Democrat) ***

Justice of the Peace Quorum Court District 12

Cynthia Barnes Lucas (Democrat) John Rech Jr. (Republican) ***

Crawfordsville Mayor

Sterling Briggs Jr.

Joe Marotti ***

Earle Mayor

Ramonda Henderson Sherman Smith ***

Earle City Council Ward 1-1

Sandra Holloway Kenneth Cross ***

Earle City Council Ward 2-1

Jimmie C. Barham Betty Williams ***

Earle City Council Ward 3-1

Tyneshia Bohanon Grinda Luckett ***

Earle City Council Ward 4-1

Robert L. Udell Sr Demetris Johnson ***

Edmondson Mayor

Hayward Shaw Jr Art Gillard Ira Ewing Edward Coleman ***

Edmondson City Clerk

Mollie Johnson Larry Moore ***

Edmondson Town Council Position 4

Sidney T Prackett Audrey Embery ***

Edmondson Town Council Position 5

Coletha Jones Vasser James Mitchell ***

Gilmore Mayor

Bruce Delaney Christene Brownlee ***

Gilmore Town Council Position 2

Terry Lee Person Kyle Kline ***

Gilmore Town Council Position 4

Dontavous White Dotson Markham M.D.

***

Horseshoe Lake Mayor

Garry G. Hahne Shawn Siders ***

Horseshoe Lake Recorder/Treasurer

Carol Adams Jordyn Benefield ***

Horseshoe Lake Town Council Position 1

Trina Scarbrough Lynn B. Kee ***

Horseshoe Lake Town Council Position 2

Harris M. Lentz III Michael Carter Nora Seaton ***

Jericho Town Council Position 4

Brenda Payne Elaine Dupree

***

Marion Mayor

Frank A. Fogleman Michael ‘Kelly’ O’Neal ***

Marion City Council Jasper 1-2

Bradly ‘Brad’ Moore David Bigger ***

Marion City Council Jasper 3-2

Don Hanks Sherry Holliman ***

Sunset Mayor

Joyce Ann Butler Reginald Lynn Brown Lensey Hayes ***

Turrell Mayor

Dorothy Cooper Charles Webster ***

West Memphis Mayor

Marco Mcclendon Frederick Leonard Wayne Croom Desha Lorenzo Parker III Ramona Taylor Eric Johnson ***

West Memphis City Clerk

Joyce Gray Phillip Para

***

West Memphis City Council Ward 1-1

James Holt Bradford K. Roe ***

West Memphis City Council Ward 3-1

Charles E Wheeless Jack L. Poff Jr ***

West Memphis City Council Ward 5-1

Alfred Felton Donald Boyd Helen J. Harris When voters head to the polls to vote on state, county and local races on Election Day, there will also be a slate of proposed changes to Arknsas law. While you will see only the popular name and title of each proposal, there are many provisions and details to each ballot issue.

Issue 1 — An Amendment Concerning Civil Lawsuits and the Powers of the General Assembly and Supreme Court to Adopt Court Rules

This amendment asks voters to approve changes to four parts of Arkansas Constitution that would:

• Prohibit attorneys from collecting a contingency fee that is more than 1/3 of the net amount of money a client receives in a civil lawsuit and establish penalties for collecting fees higher than allowed and defining terms such as “net amount of recovery.”

• Define the terms “non-economic damages” and “punitive damages” and establish a maximum amount of money a person receives as punitive damages in a lawsuit related to injuries resulting in death, or injuries to person or property. The maximum amount would be the greater of $500,000 or three times the compensatory damages awarded. It would also establish a $500,000 maximum limit that an injured person or his/her beneficiaries combined can receive as noneconomic damages in a lawsuit related to injuries resulting in death, or injuries to person or property.

• Allow the state legislature to pass laws amending or repealing a rule of pleading, practice, or procedure established by the Supreme Court with a vote of 3/5 of each house and allow the state legislature to pass laws creating a rule of pleading, practice or procedure with a vote of 3/5 of each house.

• Lower the number of votes needed by state legislators from 2/3 to 3/5 to abolish or change rules established by the Supreme Court related to Court of Appeals, Circuit Courts, District Courts and “referees, masters and magistrates.”

In July, a lawsuit was filed in an attempt to remove Issue 1 from the November ballot. A Pulaski County Circuit Court judge ruled that Issue 1 should be removed from the ballot. The judge's decision has been appealed to the Arkansas Supreme Court, which will ultimately decide whether Issue 1 will remain on the ballot for voters to decide.

Issue 2 — A Constitutional Amendment Adding as a Qualification to Vote that a Voter Present Certain Valid Photographic Identification when Casting a Ballot In Person or Casting an Absentee Ballot

This proposed amendment asks voters to change Article 3 of the Arkansas Constitution to amend the qualifications residents must meet in order to vote in an election in this state. If approved by voters, this amendment would:

• Require legislators to pass a law establishing that voters must present photo identification before receiving a ballot to vote in person. Residents voting by way of an absentee ballot would be required to enclose a copy of a valid photo identification with their ballot.

• Require the state to issue photo identification at no charge to a voter who does not have identification that meets the requirements established by legislators and allow a voter without valid photo identification to vote using a provisional ballot, with the ballot counting only if the voter follows the steps required by state law to certify the ballot.

Issue 3 — The Arkansas Term Limits Amendment

This amendment asks voters to change term limits for the General Assembly as described in Amendment 73 of the Arkansas Constitution, and to prohibit legislators from further altering these term limits. If approved by the voters, this amendment would:

• Repeal existing term limits of 16 years.

• Limit terms in the Arkansas House of Representatives to three two-year terms for a total of six years over a life-time.

• Limit terms in the Arkansas Senate to two four-year terms for a total of eight years over a life-time.

• Prohibit legislators from serving more than 10 years in the General Assembly.

• Include all two-year terms, four-year terms, and full years of partial terms resulting from special elections in the overall 10-year limit that would be put into place under this amendment.

Issue 4 – An Amendment to Require Four Licenses to be Issued for Casino Gaming at Casinos, One Each in Crittenden, Garland, Pope, and Jefferson Counties

This amendment asks voters to add a section to the Arkansas Constitution to authorize four casinos to operate in the state. If approved by voters, this amendment would:

• Authorize four casinos to operate in the state, one in Jefferson County within two miles of Pine Bluff, one in Pope County within two miles of Russellville, one at or adjacent to Oaklawn Jockey Club in Garland County, and one at or adjacent to Southland Racing Corporation in Crittenden County.

• Require the Arkansas Racing Commission to fund and work with Department of Human Services to implement and administer compulsive gambling disorder educational programs.

• Allow the casinos to operate any day, all day, serving alcohol during all hours in which gaming takes place, regardless of whether the casino is located in a dry city or county.

Issue 5 – An Act to Increase the Arkansas Minimum Wage

This initiated act would increase the state minimum wage from $8.50 to $9.25 per hour on Jan. 1, 2019, to $10 per hour on Jan. 1, 2020, and increase the state minimum wage to $11 per hour on Jan. 1, 2021.

By Ralph Hardin