SEBASTIAN COUNTY, Ark. — The November election is less than two months away, and the Sebastian County Election Commission is preparing now to ensure a smooth lead-up to Election Day.
Sebastian County Election Coordinator Manda Cravey, who assumed the position in August after the previous coordinator resigned, said she and her team are working to meet deadlines before the election.
"Right now, they're running as smoothly as it possibly can at this point," Cravey said. "We have wonderful volunteers that are up here on a daily basis, and they're helping us to ensure that we're meeting those deadlines."
In a Sebastian County Election Commission meeting on Wednesday, commissioners reviewed upcoming deadlines pertinent to voters and staff alike.
"We just finalized everything with our electronic ballot, and so that is getting programmed and ready for us to put onto our systems," Cravey said. "We're doing [Logic & Accuracy] testing today. We're clearing all the systems and getting that prepared for the ballot to be loaded. Once we get it loaded, tomorrow, we'll be testing that with actual ballots."
Cravey said the county is looking to finalize sample ballots for voters to access and have them available on Voter View by the end of the month. The deadline to do this is October 16.
Cravey said Sebastian County has 32 voting sites, 220 different ballots for each precinct, and 240 voting machines spread throughout the county. As of now, she said they have 176 poll workers helping to manage it all.
"We typically have four workers at each site, three poll workers, and then one judge," Cravey said. "People being willing to work and to assist with this process has been really a wonderful experience to hear. I get calls from people every day about how excited they are to be a part of it."
Cravey said they are offering poll worker training on Sept. 21. She said on Monday they had three new people sign up to be a poll worker. Even if they were to fill up with poll workers, Cravey said it’s safe to have extras.
There is one important deadline Cravey wants Sebastian County residents to remember.
"October 7 is your deadline to register to vote," Cravey said. "I would encourage you to go on to Voter View and double-check that you're registered to vote because if you haven't participated for a while, you might not be an active registered voter."
Cravey said residents who have moved counties in recent years need to remember to re-register to vote.
Early voting in Sebastian County begins on Oct. 21. Cravey said the county has options for those who may be busy during the week.
"If you work all through the week and you just can't get off, we are open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the two Saturdays leading up to Election Day," Cravey said. "It gives everyone an opportunity to be able to vote without the crazy rush of Election Day."
For Sebastian County residents interested in seeing the voting machines and testing sample ballots, Cravey said there will be a public testing day on Oct. 9 in the Sebastian County Election Commission Office in Fort Smith.
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