WASHINGTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — With the March primary exactly two weeks away, voters across Arkansas are now able to vote early and get their ballots in before the busyness of Election Day.
"Anytime you have a presidential election year, you always see an increase in participation more than when you don't have the president on the ballot,” Jennifer Price, Washington County director of elections, said.
Price is gearing up for an intense election season, making sure that voting in the county is both secure and accessible.
“We go through and we test every precinct and every candidate to make sure that votes are showing up exactly how we anticipated that vote would be when we're doing our testing,” Price said. “We've tested well over 10,000 ballots, just making sure that votes are actually counting the way that we expected those votes to count."
In addition to election accuracy and security, Price and her team are also aware of the low voter turnout in the state.
According to the Arkansas Civil Health Index, Arkansas has the lowest voter registration and voter turnout rates in national elections of any U.S. state.
One reason for this, according to the study, includes a lack of transportation to the polls in rural areas. This is a challenge Price is helping to address.
“One of the reasons we've done the 18 early vote sites is because we're able to have early voting across the country distributed more evenly,” Price said. “The idea is that if you do live in the city of Lincoln or if you live out in Sonora, there's actually an opportunity for you to vote early and not have to wait for Election Day."
Long lines are also associated with casting a ballot on Election Day, and Price is encouraging voters to cast their ballots earlier when foot traffic is much slower.
“We encourage everyone to vote early because, typically, you can get in and out very quickly,” Price said. “It makes it easier for us to take care of any types of problems, rather than on Election Day when there's 42 sites open and there's so much more going on.”
According to the Arkansas Secretary of State’s website, each county has its own specific rules and regulations as to where and when voting is eligible leading up to Election Day.
For a comprehensive list of polling locations in Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley, click here.
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