BENTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — Two Benton County Justice of the Peace candidates who ran unopposed in the March primary have dropped out, prompting Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders to call for a special election to fill the vacancies for November's election.
Democratic candidate Letisha Hinds and incumbent Republican Chris Latimer have withdrawn from the District 4 JP race.
Latimer announced his run for Rogers mayor in May, which explains the reason for his decision to withdraw from the JP race. However, it is unclear why Hinds decided to pull out.
Through Republican and Democratic conventions, the respective parties will decide on who to fill the vacant nominations, according to Sanders.
For the Republican nomination, the convention will be held on June 21. Before the convention, potential candidates can file starting midnight on May 20 until midnight on May 24. Nomination certification shall be submitted to the Arkansas Secretary of State and the Benton County Election Commission on June 28.
Filing for the Democratic candidacy will begin on June 3 and end on June 10, the day of the convention. The Democratic Party must submit a nomination certification to the Secretary of State and the Benton County Election Commission by June 14.
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