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Early voting in the Baxter County Republican sheriff’s runoff between Deputy Chief Mark Hollingsworth and Sgt. Brian Davis reached 2,710 ballots cast as of Friday, representing roughly 8% turnout.
Friday’s total added 642 votes. Election Day is Tuesday, March 31.
The runoff will decide the Republican nomination for Baxter County sheriff, as well as the statewide Republican race for secretary of state between Bryan Norris and Sen. Kim Hammer. With no Democratic candidate filed for sheriff, the winner of the March 31 runoff will take office as the next Baxter County sheriff.
Hollingsworth led the March 3 primary with 3,346 votes, roughly 46%, while Davis finished second with 2,917 votes, about 40%. Henry Campfield was eliminated with 1,012 votes. Only 429 votes separated the top two candidates.
The two men are competing to succeed retiring Sheriff John Montgomery, who has led the office for more than 20 years and endorsed Davis early in the race.
Hollingsworth addresses Marion County coverage
Hollingsworth, who serves as chief deputy at the Marion County Sheriff’s Office, addressed a separate matter this week that drew attention during the final stretch of the campaign. The Observer published an investigative report involving the Marion County Sheriff’s Office and its handling of cases against Steven M. Manson, a registered sex offender facing multiple felony charges in Marion County.
Hollingsworth handled the situation professionally, issuing a public statement in which he said he could not comment on the active investigation but affirmed his support for press freedom and the role of journalism in a functioning democracy.
“I support and firmly believe in the importance of a free and independent press, and that the press has every right to look into the actions of various agencies, departments, and/or individuals involved in these cases,” Hollingsworth wrote. “We may not always like what is printed, but we need it and have to have it for our democracy to work.”
The Observer’s reporting on the Marion County cases was not written with the runoff election in mind. The story was published because concerned individuals reached out to the paper and asked to speak about what they had witnessed. The matter involves serious criminal charges, including child rape, and the Observer reported on it accordingly. The timing of the election had no bearing on the story.
How to vote early
Early voting runs through Monday, March 30. Hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All early voting takes place at First United Methodist Church, 605 W. 6th St. in Mountain Home.
How to vote on Election Day
Polls open Tuesday, March 31, at 7:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. Voters who are in line when polls close will be allowed to cast their ballot.
Baxter County uses vote centers, which means registered voters may cast their ballot at any of the county’s polling locations regardless of where they live. Vote centers for the runoff include:
Baxter County Training Center, Midway; Big Flat City Hall; East Side Baptist Church, Mountain Home; First United Methodist Church, 605 W. 6th St., Mountain Home; Henderson Fire Station, 12487 Hwy. 62 E., Henderson; Lakeview Civic Center, 14 Skyles Lane, Lakeview; Lone Rock Baptist Church, 6726 Push Mountain Road, Norfork; Norfork First Baptist Church; Salesville City Hall; and The Good Shepherd Methodist Church, Cotter.
Who can vote
Voters must have been registered by March 2 to participate in the runoff. Arkansas law requires voters to show a photo ID when voting in person. Voters who do not have a photo ID may still cast a provisional ballot and have until noon the Monday following the election to present an ID to the county clerk or the county board of election commissioners.
Voters can verify their registration status, check their party affiliation and view a sample ballot at voterview.ar-nova.org/voterview.
Absentee voting
Voters who cannot make it to the polls may request an absentee ballot through the Baxter County Clerk’s office at 1 E. 7th St., Suite 103, in Mountain Home. The office can be reached by phone at (870) 425-3475 or (870) 580-5602, or by email at [email protected]. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Results and certification
Unofficial results will be compiled and published beginning at 7:30 p.m. March 31 at the Baxter County Courthouse, 1 E. 7th St. Election certification is scheduled for April 10.
The candidates
Hollingsworth is a retired Arkansas State Police major who spent 35 years with the agency. He is a graduate of the FBI National Academy at Quantico, Virginia, and served more than 20 years in the Arkansas Army National Guard, including a 2008 deployment to Iraq.
Davis has spent 15 years at the Baxter County Sheriff’s Office and has 34 years of total law enforcement experience, including nearly two decades with the Forrest City Police Department, where he rose to CID lieutenant.
