(LITTLE ROCK, ARK.) – Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston wants to remind voters that Early Voting for the Tuesday, March 31st General Primary Runoff Election begins tomorrow, March 24th.
Early voting will be available during your County Clerk’s normal business hours, March 24-March 30. Polls will be closed Saturday, March 28th and Sunday, March 29th.
Governor Asa Hutchinson has issued Executive Order 20-08, which suspends three provisions of law, concerning elections, for the upcoming General Primary Election due to the ongoing Covid-19 emergency. The first suspends the law regarding emergency polling site changes. Counties will be permitted to consolidate to as few as one polling site for in-person voting on Election Day. This decision may be made up to three days prior to the election, so long as a notice is posted at polling sites that would have otherwise been used, absent the emergency. The second suspends the law requiring qualified electors who wish to vote absentee to be unavoidably absent or unable to attend an election due to illness or physical disability. All qualified electors currently entitled to vote in the General Primary Runoff Election will be permitted to request an absentee ballot from their county of residence. The third suspends the provision of law which requires absentee ballot applications sent by mail, fax, or email to arrive by March 24th. Absentee voters submitting their application by mail, fax, or email in the seven days prior to Election Day will receive an absentee ballot.
Please note that the deadline to return voted absentee ballots by mail will still remain 7:30 pm on March 31st. Voters can download an absentee ballot application from the Secretary of State website at: https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/uploads/elections/Absentee_Ballot_Application.pdf.
Per recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and the Arkansas Department of Health, voters should continue to observe appropriate social distancing measures when going to vote, and maintain a six-foot distance from others, if possible. County officials and poll workers are receiving guidance on additional measures to ensure the safety of everyone.
To check your voter registration information and get information on your local polling location, contact your county clerk.
