FAYETTEVILLE (KFSM)- The Washington County Election Commission is expecting a large voter turnout on Tuesday (Dec. 9) for a special election, which asks Fayetteville residents whether they want to repeal the controversial Civil Rights Ordinance.
The ordinance prohibits local businesses and entities from discriminating against employees and customers based on gender, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion and other factors. The Fayetteville City Council passed the ordinance in August, but a group that opposes it gathered enough signatures to force a special election.
Of the 49,000 registered voters in Fayetteville, about 10% voted early. According to Becky Lewallen, the Washington County Clerk, 4,494 people cast their ballot Dec. 2, 3, 4, 5 and 8.
"We've had a very heavy turnout for this election," Lewallen said. "We almost had 1,000 today only. We might hit 4,500 to 5,000, so that's a pretty heavy turnout."
Lewallen estimates 18,000 to 20,000 voters will cast their ballots Tuesday.
Groups for and against Ordinance 119 have spent several weeks leading up to the special election campaigning to get voters to the polls. Rep. Charlie Collins, R-Fayetteville, said he'd like to see the measure get repealed.
"[The ordinance] covers a wide range of behaviors. It covers a wide range of new ground," he said. "So, it's not surprising to me that there is a lot of attention."
Collins said he's expecting a large voter turnout Tuesday.
"I believe the ordinance will be repealed," he said.
The group Keep Fayetteville Fair, which supports the Civil Rights Ordinance, has been busy knocking on doors and making calls to voters, according to Field Director Daniel Lagana.
"In the [last] five days we have knocked on as many doors as we did in the first three weeks of this campaign," he said. "We feel that that is the best way to reach our base and our supporters to turn them out for election day."
Lagana said he is cautiously optimistic about Tuesday's outcome.
"We've done the work. We know we have done the work, we are confident," he said.
Keep Fayetteville Fair has also rented buses to shuttle voters to their polling locations Tuesday.
There will be 17 polling locations open across Fayetteville from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Only Fayetteville residents registered in the city are allowed to vote in the special election. To find your polling location click here.