Overview & Primer: What’s Happening March 5?

By Kay King

Eagle View Senior Reporter

Registered voters in Arkansas can cast ballots on national, state and local issues in the March 5 primaries, non-partisan judicial races, and some local elections. Early voting is already underway in Benton and Washington counties and will continue through March 4.

Benton County Clerk Betsy Harrell said several races and questions will be decided in the balloting.  “If there are only two candidates in any of the nonpartisan judicial races, those winners will be decided on March 5, as is the case with Benton County’s Prosecuting Attorney and a State Supreme Court Justice,” Harrell said. There also are a special millage election in Bella Vista to fund the police officers’ pension plans and a question about a bond issue for Centerton. Several votes will determine the Democratic or Republican party’s candidate for various state legislative races.

In Benton County’s District 12, which includes the city of Siloam Springs, voters will decide on a new Justice of the Peace as two candidates – Caroline Geer and John Good Rissler — are vying for the Republican nomination and no one from the Democratic Party filed for that position. The incumbent, Ron Homeyer, did not seek re-election.

The most important thing when it comes to voting is being registered, election officials said.  If you haven’t registered to vote already, you have missed the deadline to vote in the March 5 primary election. (That deadline was Feb. 5.) Potential voters can, however, register to vote now to cast ballots in the Nov. 5 general election.

We vote to elect people into office that are willing to go the extra mile to help our voices be heard.

Kim Dennison, Benton County Election Coordinator

Arkansas law requires you to register in the county where you live. If you are a naturalized U.S. citizen, are at least 18 years old, are an Arkansas resident, not a felon who has not discharged your sentence, and have not been determined to be mentally incompetent to register and vote, then you are eligible to register and vote.

Anyone who is a naturalized citizen meeting these requirements may vote if they have registered at least 30 days prior to the election. Students may be considered residents of the place where they lived prior to becoming a student. However, a student may also have the intent to be a resident of the new place and be registered there. Of course, a student may not be registered and vote in more than one place. This also applies to people on temporary job assignments in other areas of the state. Helpful voter information is provided by the Public Policy Center of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, Cooperative Extension Service. Resources provided include a handout about voting.

In a primary election, you must state the party primary in which you wish to vote. If you don’t wish to cast a party ballot, you may choose to vote in the nonpartisan races only (which may include judicial and prosecuting attorney races, and other local issues such as tax increases). You’re allowed to vote on only one party’s ballot or the nonpartisan ballot. The election official records which party’s ballot you choose.

Both the Republican and Democratic parties hold primaries, or caucuses, in each state. This allows party members to vote on which candidate they want to see become the party’s nominee. A delegate is a person who is elected to represent other people to speak and act on their behalf. The primary votes for each of the major political parties translate into a delegate count to determine the presidential nominee.

Benton County Election Coordinator Kim Dennison told the Eagle View, “We vote to elect people into office that are willing to go the extra mile to help our voices be heard. It is important to vote in a Primary Election to help determine who will be on the November ballot.”

NWACC Professor of Political Science Matt Evans stressed even more the importance of registering and keeping up one’s voter registration. “Just because you’re of age doesn’t mean that you’re actually registered to vote. … It is possible that if you are older and there’s a gap in your voting … that you may be purged as a voter and not be able to vote.”

Voters in Arkansas can check their voter registration status and obtain a sample ballot by visiting the appropriate page on the Arkansas Secretary of State’s website.

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