WASHINGTON COUNTY (KFSM)- More than 2,000 Washington County voters cast their ballots in the first two days of early voting, according to Jennifer Price, election coordinator.
“We anticipate that the voter turnout would be quite large this year in comparison to 2010, which would have been the last Governor’s race,” Price said.
This year’s ballot features highly contested races. There’s the U.S. Senate race between Democratic Senator Mark Pryor and Republican Representative Tom Cotton.
There’s also the Governor’s race with Republican Asa Hutchinson, Democrat Mike Ross, Green Party candidate Joshua Drake and Libertarian Frank Gilbert.
“The fact that the candidates for Governor, none of them are the incumbent and certainly the Senators race are definitely driving the voters out,” she said.
Arkansas election officials estimate that 51 percent the state’s nearly 1.7 million registered voters will cast ballots in this election, which is an increase from the 2010 midterm election where 47.6 percent voted.
Price said people are taking advantage of early voting.
“It does allow you the opportunity to voter at your own convenience rather than waiting until Tuesday to vote between 7 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.,” Price said. “You don’t know you might wake up that morning, be sick, and can’t make it to the polls or something happen that you don’t get to cast your votes.”
“It’s a way to make sure that your vote is cast and counted,” Price said.
Other issues on the ballot are the minimum wage increase and the allowing the sale of alcohol statewide.
