WASHINGTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — A lot of voters may be wondering if the Republican and Democratic conventions were enough to decide on who to support in November. Is there still more work to be done from both sides?
Delegates said our national conventions are about building support and encouragement to get voters to the polls. Arkansas Democratic delegate Evelyn Rios-Stafford said she left the Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago feeling ready to try new policies in the Natural State.
"The energy and excitement at this convention was just totally off the charts," Stafford said. "Everyone there was just so hyped up to be there, to be making history."
There were 36 Democratic delegates and 40 Republican delegates who represented Arkansas at their respective conventions this summer.
Rios-Stafford was at the DNC where many political leaders, such as former President Barack Obama, Sen. Bernie Sanders, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro graced the stage.
"We had Jasmine Crockett, that representative from Texas who's really been making waves, came and speak, spoke to our little group ... about policy," Stafford said. "It's amazing to find out the Arkansas connections that some of these folks have that you don't realize. Jasmine Crockett lived in Arkansas for a while, even though she now represents Texas, and she talked about that. Bernie Sanders spoke to us specifically about Arkansas, and it was just really amazing to meet some of these folks up close."
During the convention there were different caucuses, committee meetings, and panels to learn from. Stafford said after attending those events, she was inspired.
"Arkansas is ranked near the bottom when it comes to things like childcare, maternal healthcare, the health of children, all these different metrics," she said. "We can see what folks are doing in other states that are working, and this was an opportunity to learn more about those policies and to try and bring those back and advocate for those here in our state."
5NEWS reached out to the Republican Party of Arkansas about their experience at the RNC and hasn't heard back yet.
However, we did catch up with the Republican Party of Washington County last week for their plans in the final election push. Republican committee chair Brian Lester said they will campaign for former President Donald Trump, but they are putting much of their attention on other races.
"Our big focus is our local candidates," Lester said. "Arkansas has historically shown that there's a really good likelihood that all six of our electoral votes are going to go to the Republican nominee, to former President Trump."
Whether you're Republican or Democrat, both parties want Arkansans to get out and vote.
"Because putting up yard signs that doesn't win elections. Likes on Facebook that doesn't make change," Stafford said. "The only thing that makes change is if you go into that voting booth and you vote, and we all have the right and the ability to do that ... Arkansas has one of the lowest voter turnouts in the country, and we really need to turn that around."
In Arkansas, voters have to be registered at least 30 days before an election. The voter registration deadline is Oct. 7.
Watch 5NEWS on YouTube.
Download the 5NEWS app on your smartphone:
Stream 5NEWS 24/7 on the 5+ app: How to watch the 5+ app on your streaming device
To report a typo or grammatical error, please email KFSMDigitalTeam@tegna.com and detail which story you're referring to.