Arkansas prepares for busy presidential election

By The Associated Press

Arkansas voters on Monday shrugged off the state's flyover status in the presidential contest and lined up at the polls on the last day of early voting as the state prepared for Tuesday's election.

State officials said they've already seen record numbers of early ballots cast in an election headlined by the matchup between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain. By Monday evening, a record 372,931 people had voted early in the election. Nearly a quarter of the state's 1.68 million registered voters cast ballots through early or absentee voting, according to the secretary of state's office.

Secretary of State Charlie Daniels said he expects between 65 percent and 70 percent of the state's registered voters will cast a ballot in this year's election. Even the state's governor acknowledged he won't be immune from a long wait at the polls on Tuesday.

"If I have to wait, I have to wait. I don't care," said Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat who planned to cast his vote in White County Tuesday morning. "That will be one of the most pleasant waits I have if (I) have to wait for a long line of voters."

At an early polling site in downtown Little Rock, hundreds lined up Monday morning and voters said they experienced waits of at least an hour.

"It wasn't an easy decision," said Charles James, a doctor at Arkansas Children's Hospital who said he cast his ballot for McCain. James, who said he voted for the Arizona senator because of his opposition to abortion, said he still expected the Republican to lose the race nationally.

"They are both capable leaders ... I think the economy will be hard for either one to fix," James said.

The state has been pushed aside in the contest between Obama and McCain, with neither candidate being a major presence in the state. At the beginning of the year, the state seemed poised to play a greater role when Gov. Mike Huckabee pursued the GOP nomination and former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton sought the Democratic nod.

But both dropped out, and Republicans say they're confident the state that went for President Bush in 2000 and 2004 will remain in their column. McCain has visited the state twice since he clinched his party's nomination.

"I think the early voting, from what we're seeing, is confirming our thoughts that we're going to win in double digits," Arkansas GOP Chairman Dennis Milligan said.

Obama, who lost to Hillary Clinton in the state's February primary, has not campaigned in Arkansas but Bill and Hillary Clinton have both stumped in the state for the Illinois senator in the closing weeks before the election. Top Democrats point say they believe the state still has a shot at pulling an upset for Obama.

"We think we have closed the gap somewhat but it's still a challenge," Democratic Party Chairman David Pryor said. "We're still working for every vote that we can."

Although McCain trails in national polls, the Arizona senator is widely believed to have a comfortable lead in Arkansas, with a recent University of Arkansas survey showing him with a double-digit lead over Obama. If Obama wins the election nationally but loses Arkansas, it would be the first time the state wouldn't go with the winner in a presidential election since 1968 - when third-party candidate and segregationist George Wallace won Arkansas' electoral votes.

Aside from the presidential race, attention has been trained mostly on five ballot measures going before voters this week, including a proposed amendment authorizing a state-run lottery and an initiated act that would ban unmarried and same-sex couples from becoming foster or adoptive parents.

Voters will also decide a proposal to issue $300 million in bonds for water projects, a proposal to allow the Legislature to meet annually and an amendment to remove outdated election language from the state constitution.

None of the state's congressional members face any major party opposition in the election. Sen. Mark Pryor, a Democrat seeking a second term, faces a Green Party challenger in his re-election bid. Three of the state's four incumbent congressmen face Green Party opponents, while Rep. Marion Berry of the 1st District is running unopposed.

Democrats are guaranteed to retain their strong majority in the Legislature no matter how Tuesday's races turn out. Only one race in the 35-member Senate is contested, while only 28 seats in the 100-member House are contested.

Democrats already are guaranteed 27 seats in the Senate, while Republicans are guaranteed 7. Only 28 seats in the 100-member House are contested in Tuesday's election. Democrats are already guaranteed 56 seats that are unopposed, while Republicans are guaranteed 16 seats.

Polls close Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., but voters in line at that hour will be allowed to vote.

For more information see Tuesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.