Share This Article
Special elections for the Legislature occurring simultaneously with the primaries have created a unique situation where some Arkansans may be voting on two ballots March 3.
A special election was called in Senate District 26 to fill the seat left vacant following the death of Branch Republican Sen. Gary Stubblefield last year. The district includes portions of Franklin, Logan, Johnson and Sebastian counties.
House District 70 voters are also selecting a candidate to replace North Little Rock Rep. Carlton Wing who resigned from the state Legislature last year to lead Arkansas PBS, which has since rebranded to Arkansas TV. The district includes parts of Pulaski County.
Brad Simon, who won the Republican nomination for SD 26 earlier this month, will face Independent candidate Adam Watson in the district’s special election. Franklin County Clerk Tammy Sisson said the special election for that seat will automatically appear on the last page of whichever primary ballot voters choose.
Arkansans may need to take a few extra steps in HD 70 where Tiffany Trotter, community outreach director for the Pulaski Circuit and County Clerk’s Office, is encouraging voters to tell poll workers they are registered to vote in that district to ensure they receive the correct ballots.
Here’s what you need to know about the HD 70 elections:
What elections can HD 70 voters participate in?
Registered voters can cast ballots in the HD 70 special election. The winner will serve the remainder of Wing’s term, which ends in January. Alex Holladay won the Democratic nomination in January and will face Republican Bo Renshaw.
Voters can also cast a ballot in the primary election. In Arkansas primaries, registered voters can choose to vote a Republican ballot, Democratic ballot or a ballot with only nonpartisan judicial races.
A new Republican rule bars registered Democrats from voting in the Republican primary. Nonpartisan judicial races are included in the Republican and Democratic ballots. Voters can also choose to only vote in the nonpartisan judicial races.
The Democratic ballot includes the Democratic primary race for HD 70. Holladay and Cordelia Smith-Johnson are vying for the HD 70 Democratic nomination and the winner will face Renshaw in November’s general election.
The winner of the general election will serve a two-year term in the Arkansas House that begins in January.
How many ballots do I need?
HD 70 residents will have to check in twice and cast two separate ballots — one for the special election and one in the regular primary ballot of their choice.
What if I only received one ballot?
If HD 70 voters participated in early voting and only cast one ballot, they can return to the polls and cast a second ballot anytime before polls close at 7:30 p.m. on election day, March 3.
During early voting, which ends on March 2, voters can cast a ballot at any of the 12 polling sites across Pulaski County. On election day, they must go to their designated polling location.
More information about voting in Pulaski County is available at https://votepulaskiar.gov.
Arkansas Advocate is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Arkansas Advocate maintains editorial independence. This article was published with permission from the Arkansas Advocate. Contact Editor Andrew DeMillo for questions: [email protected]. Follow Arkansas Advocate on Facebook and Twitter.
