DEWAYNE HOLLOWAY|dewayne@mcnews.online
The current election cycle will be one of the busiest for Montgomery County residents with most local, state and federal positions featuring contested races.
2022 is an off year in that there will be on Presidential election and historically off-years experience a drop in voter participation. With the number of contested races on this year’s ballot, voter registration is even more important than ever.
To be eligible to vote you must register no later than 30 days before the election. The Preferential Primary Election will be held Tuesday, May 24, with early and absentee voting beginning May 9. The General Election will be held Tuesday, November 8, with early and absentee voting set to begin October 24.
The final day to register for the Preferential Primary Election will be Monday, April 25, and Monday, October 10, for the General Election.
To be eligible to vote you must meet certain qualifications.
Be a U.S. citizen.
Be an Arkansas resident.
Be age 18 or turn 18 on or before the next election.
Not be a convicted felon whose sentence has not been discharged or pardoned.
Not be presently adjudged as mentally incompetent as to your ability to vote by a court of competent jurisdiction.
You must register to vote in the county of your residence. Owning property or a business in a county does not constitute residency there.
If you are registering to vote by mail you must provide either your driver’s license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number on your Arkansas Voter Registration Application, or check the box in #9 on the application to indicate that you do not possess either a driver’s license or Social Security number.
Arkansas does require verification of voter registration per Act 633 of 2017.
If the voter is unable to verify their registration, they have the opportunity to vote a provisional ballot. Under this circumstance, the voter has until 12 p.m. on the first Monday following the election to provide proper identification.
Each voter shall verify his or her registration when voting by presenting a document or identification card that: either shows the name of the person to whom the document or identification card was issued; shows a photograph of the person to whom the document or identification card was issued; is issued by the United States, the State of Arkansas, or an accredited postsecondary educational institution in the State of Arkansas; and if displaying an expiration date, is not expired or expired no more than four years before the date of the election in which the voter seeks to vote.
Documents and identification cards that will be accepted as verification of voter registration include without limitation: a driver’s license; A photo identification card; a concealed handgun carry license; a United States passport; an employee badge or identification document issued by an accredited postsecondary education institution in the State of Arkansas; a United States military identification document; a public assistance identification card if the card shows a photograph of the person to whom the document or identification card was issued; A voter verification card as provided under Ark. Code § 7-5-324.
A person who is a resident of a long-term care or residential care facility licensed by the state of Arkansas is not required to verify his or her registration by presenting a document or identification card as described above when voting in person, but must provide documentation from the administrator of the facility attesting that the person is a resident of the facility.
Voters unable to verify registration when voting in person will still be allowed to vote but must do so by casting a provisional ballot. Provisional ballots cast in this manner will be counted if the voter returns to the county board of election commissioners or the county clerk by 12 p.m. on the Monday following the election and presents a document or identification card meeting the requirements described above, and the county board of election commissioners does not determine that the provisional ballot is invalid and should not be counted based on other grounds.
Local residents who are unsure of their voter status can check with their local County Clerk’s office. The Montgomery County Clerk is located in the courthouse at 105 Highway 270E Suite 10. They can be reached by phone at (870) 867-3521.
Be wary of websites that offer online voter registration for Arkansas residents. According to the Secretary of State’s website you must fill out a paper voter registration application to become a registered voter. Applications are available at several locations such as the county clerk’s office, county revenue office, public libraries, disability agencies, and the Arkansas Secretary of State Elections Division.
The Secretary of State Elections Division can be reached by phone at 1-800-482-1127. You can also request an application through the mail. Voter registration forms are available on the Secretary of State’s website for download in English and Spanish. The Secretary of State’s website is www. Sos.arkansas.gov
Voter registration deadline approaches
