By Morgan Nunley, Eagle View Contributor

What do you think when you hear the phrase “midterm election”? These elections are thought of as the inferior younger brother of the presidential elections that take place every four years. The midterm election for Arkansas this year has drawn more attention than normal because of the candidates running for governor and the four ballot issues being brought to the forefront. Two political minds spoke on the ballot issues and the race for governor in Arkansas. Connor Andrews and Matt Evans gave their opinions on what to expect in this election.

Andrews is a former NWACC student who is earning his degree in political education at Oklahoma State University. This fall, Andrews is mainly following races in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. “I live in Oklahoma and Arkansas, and Pennsylvania and Georgia will help decide the leaning of the Senate and the House,” he said. Andrews spoke about these races with high anticipation, and he is eagerly awaiting the results. 

Andrews focused on the Arkansas race and specifically spoke of the history-making possibilities with both of the major candidates: “I think it will open the door, especially because it opens up demographics and groups of people that have never had this type of chance, regardless of who wins.”

Andrews spoke of the local school board elections stating they will be the “most important, especially since they’re local.” The Bentonville School Board election is something that is drawing the eye of many people with several contested races. Andrews said he thought that the school board issue is the key issue on the ballot, even considering the other controversial issues on the ballot this year. 

Andrews also identified another ballot issue that would have a longer-term impact on the county. He referenced the .25% sales tax increase to expand the jail in Benton County and noted it is to aid in remedying the overpopulation and overcrowding in the county jail. Benton County also has a .125% proposed sales tax increase on the ballot to help in the operations for the jail  Several other counties in the region also have ballot questions related to jail expansions. 

Andrews, a former NWACC student, gave his take on having polls for the election on college campuses. The Walmart Auditorium in NWACC’s Shewmaker Center for Workforce Technologies will be one of 32 voting centers on Election Day. (A complete list is available on the county’s website.) 

“It is important to have a voting center on campus,” Andrew said. “The students won’t get the opportunity to go home or go somewhere else. The poll will be right in their lap.” Andrews thinks that the polling locations will help in the long-term in regards to an increase in the numbers of people voting and putting their voice out there.

The other political expert who spoke about these issues was Matt Evans,  the political science professor at NWACC. Evans was also interested in the Kentucky and Georgia elections, as they are notable in terms of African American involvement in the Democratic Party, and in the case of Georgia, both parties. He described Chris Jones’ run as the Democratic nominee for Arkansas governor as “part of an opening in the Democratic Party.”

Turning the attention specifically to the Arkansas election, Evans’ particular focus in terms of the ballot issues was that of the recreational marijuana ballot issue. “If you look ideologically where Republicans stood on medical marijuana that was passed in Arkansas, they were almost very strongly against it …” This ballot issue could be drawing some particular attention due to the Republican ideology and the fact that they seem to be the blockade in terms of getting that recreational marijuana policy through.

Evans also discussed the governor’s race between Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Chris Jones. Ricky Dale Harrington, Jr. is also on the ballot as a Libertarian candidate. His focus was on the potential historic winner on either side with Jones being the first African American to hold such a position and Sanders, the first woman. He said the Republican candidate Sanders is “likely to win” in his mind. He described feminism and how it has been “successful in terms of getting Republican women to talk about conservative women’s access to conservative institutions.” He also described Sanders as “part of the tip of that push. You are seeing conservative female politicians arguing about particular women’s issues from a conservative point of view.” 

There are ideas of having election stations around Arkansas college campuses. The most important factor to Evans is the ease of access for this large group of people.  “States and localities that make voting easier makes voter turnout higher.” Evans approached the polling location from a logical point of view. It would make the polling numbers go up if the polling location was more convenient for large numbers of people, like a university community.

The long term impact of the ballot issues is something he addressed. Evans said, “Any of these four issues could” (have a long term impact). He then focused a little more on the decriminalization of recreational marijuana. He noted that the major impact would be in terms of revenue especially if Sanders is elected governor and she is campaigning on the possibility of eliminating the state income tax. Evans pointed out there would have to be some way to generate new revenue to replace what was lost.

Evans’ final conclusion was an overall take on politics as a whole: “Politics is all around us. It is like the force. There is nowhere you can go where you can’t see the effects or the process of politics.”