Nearly 309,000 Arkansans cast ballot during first four days of early voting

Pulaski County residents cast their votes early in the general election on Oct. 21, 2024. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)

Nearly 309,000 Arkansans have already cast their ballot in this year’s general election, in which citizens have the chance to vote for president, four congressional seats, a state Supreme Court chief justice, state treasurer, two statewide ballot initiatives and various legislative seats and local races.

The secretary of state’s office tracks daily voting records, but the information is delayed one day. The current data details ballots cast from Monday through Thursday. 

“I think the high turnout in early voting is a bunch of people that are just ready to be done. That way they can tune it out,” said Chris Madison, director of the State Board of Election Commissioners.

For the second week of early voting, however, Madison predicts a slight dip in turnout.

The State Board of Election Commissioners oversees all elections in the state, though local election officials are responsible for conducting voting in each county. A successful election includes collaboration between state and local agencies, Madison has said.

By Thursday afternoon, Madison had fielded about six election-related complaints across the state, he said, some of which were voters noting long lines and their dissatisfaction that the Arkansas Supreme Court disqualified Issue 3, a proposed ballot initiative to expand the state’s medical marijuana industry.

On Monday, the first day of early voting, the state’s high court ordered that no votes cast for Issue 3 be counted because its popular name and ballot title are misleading. The SBEC is not involved in determining a ballot initiative’s certification.

Arkansas election officials consider AI threats as they coordinate security plans

The SBEC has, however, assisted counties with screen calibration issues on voting machines, Madison said. All equipment is tested before an election begins, but transporting the machines to polling locations can affect the machine’s calibration for vote marking, he said. A recalibration typically gets the machine up and running again.

“Overall it’s going really well and all the prep work, I think, is really coming to fruition,” Madison said.

Regarding a recent meeting he had with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), Madison said he is concerned that mis- and dis-information may arise during the certification period that follows Election Day.

CISA launched in 2018 and leads efforts related to election infrastructure security in addition to the agency’s role in protecting the country’s general cyber defense.

During a virtual press conference Friday afternoon, CISA Director Jen Easterly said the current election infrastructure has never been more secure, but the threat environment has also never been more complex.

“There are very concerning physical threats to election officials — harassment, bullying, swatting, threats of violence to election officials of both parties and their families — largely stemming from unfounded claims that the 2020 election did not represent the will of the American people,” Easterly said.

Jen Easterly, director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency speaks during a virtual press conference on Oct. 25, 2024. (Screenshot)

Despite concerns, Easterly said Americans can have confidence that their vote will be counted as cast, no matter who it was cast for. CISA’s security efforts also extend beyond Nov. 5 and into the certification process that follows, as the agency will monitor foreign threats of misinformation, she said.

Madison stressed the importance of Arkansas voters verifying their selections after their ballot has been printed and before it’s inserted into the tabulator. Each voter is guaranteed three ballot sheets, which means that changes can be made on two sheets before it must officially be cast. Any number of changes can be made to a ballot before it is printed.

“We’re working real hard to make sure that our voters have a good voting experience [and] are confident in the results,” Madison said.

County specs

Early voting can look different in each of Arkansas’ 75 counties. In some, one early vote location is run by the county clerk. In others, the county board of election commissioners has approved additional early voting locations and staffed them with poll workers. Larger counties typically have more polling locations.

Pulaski County — Arkansas’ most populous county — reported 40,364 ballots cast during the first four days of early voting across 13 sites, according to unofficial county data. Election coordinator Amanda Dickens said Friday she feels confident in the preparedness of the county’s poll workers and she hasn’t been surprised by any major issues.

The county’s current count is up about 8% from the 37,470 ballots cast in four days of early voting during the 2020 general election, according to unofficial county data. Dickens said she expects an increase in voters next week.

More than 240,000 Pulaski County residents are registered voters, according to the county clerk’s office.

In Benton County, election coordinator Kimberly Dennison said turnout at its 15 early voting sites “started strong and [was] extremely busy at all of our sites, and we’ve seen a slowing at the polls the last part of the week.”

During the first four days of early voting, Benton County reported 38,646 ballots cast, which is about 6% higher than 2020 figures for the same duration.

Dennison said there haven’t been any major issues at any polling sites, though she said she is aware of some online discussion about equipment changing voters’ selections. Poll workers have been unable to confirm the issue, she said.

As of Oct. 24, Benton County had a total of 192,308 registered voters, County Clerk Betsy Harrell said. 

“I can only hope that we see a huge percentage of our voters turn out because we do a lot of work in here to prepare for an election, and it makes us feel good when people actually get out and vote,” Dennison said.

Saline County residents who intend to cast their ballot early form a line outside one vote center in Benton on Oct. 21, 2024. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)

Saline County has also experienced a high voter turnout, election coordinator Allison Cain said.

With 17,708 ballots cast in the first four days of early voting, the county is up about 6% from its 2020 reports for the same duration, according to unofficial data reports.

“We were anticipating a high turnout,” Cain said. “Usually it will be a high turnout the first day or two and then it kind of tapers off, but it’s been continuous every day — all four sites being busy with a lot of voters coming out.”

Cain said she expects more of the same next week as it’s likely voters won’t wait to go to the polls on Nov. 5. Noting that the county’s “poll workers are the backbone” of elections, Cain said she feels prepared to continue with early voting next week.

Saline County has approximately 80,400 registered voters, County Clerk Doug Curtis said Friday.

Election monitors

The SBEC approved election monitors in a dozen Arkansas counties, though when and how long monitors will spend in each county varies. State monitors will oversee early voting in seven counties, in addition to two international monitors from Sweden and Norway who are also observing the state’s procedures.

The international monitors do not check in with the SBEC throughout their visit, but some state election officials have accompanied them on their trip and have not noted any issues, Madison said.

In Izard County, where a state monitor was chosen to oversee its early voting and Election Day process, election officials reported 1,062 ballots cast during the first four days of early voting at its two polling locations.

“It’s been not heavy, just kind of steady,” Election Coordinator Rae Andrews said of turnout so far.

Izard County in North Central Arkansas has approximately 10,555 registered voters, County Clerk Joe Cooper said Friday.

Phillips County election officials struggle to report results to Secretary of State

State election officials will also monitor early voting and Election Day in Phillips County, where election officials in 2022 struggled to report their results and became the last county in the state to turn in its totals. The three-member election commission was later decertified and a new group assumed the roles.

“I feel real confident that we’re going to do OK as far as the problem they had in 2022, we seem to be on the right track for that,” said Barbara King, chairperson of the Phillips County Board of Election Commissioners.

In the first four days of early voting this year, Phillips County reported 1,074 ballots cast at its sole polling location, according to unofficial state data. The county reported nearly 3,700 early ballots during the full two weeks of early voting in the 2020 general election. 

Though she wasn’t an election commissioner during the last general election, King said she thought the current turnout was “pretty good.”

The county clerk was unavailable Friday to report the number of registered voters in Phillips County.

Early voting for the general election occurs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. Early voting ends at 5 p.m. Nov. 4., and Election Day polls will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 5.