Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike Ross and his wife cast early votes Wednesday in Little Rock, submitting their ballots in advance of Election Day and encouraging other voters to do the same.
Ross, who faces Republican Asa Hutchinson, arrived at the Pulaski County Regional Building about 10:30 a.m., filling out some paperwork, showing his ID and then casting his ballot.
"No one knows what the weather is going to be like on Nov. 4, so we wanted to vote early to encourage everyone else to get out and vote early," Ross said afterward, standing on the sidewalk outside beside his wife, Holly. "The weather's great, the lines are not long, and it's a great way to go ahead and get it done and not wait until the very last minute on Nov. 4."
A steady stream of voters arrived to cast ballots on one of about a dozen touchscreen voting stations at the facility while Ross was there. Supporters held up signs outside, and Ross met with several voters off the grounds who shook his hand and said they'd picked him when they cast their ballots.
Ross said he anticipates a "nonstop" schedule leading up to Election Day with stops in multiple cities each day. He expressed confidence in his chances to win despite a Talk Business & Politics and Hendrix College poll released Monday that gave Hutchinson a 49-41 advantage.
"I saw one poll last week that had me up four," he said. "I saw one on Friday that had me down two. And then they had me down eight five days later. I don't think there's been that kind of movement in this campaign. Ask [former Virginian U.S. Rep.] Eric Cantor about the polls. They showed he was going to get reelected by 25 points, and he lost by 10. The only poll that matters to me is the one on Election Day, and every day between now and Nov. 4 is Election Day."
Ross and Hutchinson, who are both former U.S. representatives, are also running against Libertarian party candidate Frank Gilbert and Green party candidate Joshua Drake.