GARLAND COUNTY, Ark. — Early voting starts Monday, Oct. 19 in Arkansas, and of course this year things are going to look a lot different.
More than 22 million Americans have already cast their ballots in the 2020 election, which is record-breaking for early voting.
Now, Arkansans have the chance to add their vote to that number.
Just like everything in 2020, Garland County Election Commission Chairman Gene Haley said the process to get your "I voted" sticker is going to be a tad different.
"We have signs on the floor requiring 6-feet between voters. We will have somebody at the door monitoring the traffic," he said.
Voting in the middle of a pandemic, according to Haley, means every location will be fully stocked with PPE and poll workers will sanitize between each voter.
"The idea is to decrease the amount of contact between people or equipment," he said.
Several counties across the state have even added extra early voting sites, including Pulaski and Garland counties.
Haley said because of this, Arkansans shouldn't expect to wait in long lines.
"We thought by having seven locations and spreading it out, we'd be able to handle the crowd and hopefully be able to get everybody through quickly," he said.
Don't forget your photo ID when you head to the polls.
Also, Haley said to make sure you aren't wearing anything that supports a particular candidate, ballot proposition, or party.
"This year, for instance, 'Make American Great' hats are not allowed within 100 feet of a polling location," he said.
According to Haley, in 2016, 28 thousand people voted early in Garland County.
Even though this is the year of the unknowns, he is expecting around the same amount in the next two weeks.
"I don't think people will wait till the last minute, I think they will do it early," Haley said.
The early voting period in Arkansas runs from Monday, Oct. 19 to Monday, Nov. 2.
In most counties, early voting takes place from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
Also starting on Monday, Oct. 19, Pulaski County voters can drop off absentee ballots in a drive-thru on 2nd St. behind the courthouse.
The deadline to request an absentee ballot is Oct. 27.