The first votes in Arkansas' 2016 presidential election season were cast Tuesday as early voting for the state's March 1 primary began.
Polls opened at 8 a.m. at early voting locations across the state. In addition to presidential candidates, voters are choosing party nominees for Congress and statewide offices and electing candidates in several nonpartisan judicial races.
A handful of voters leaving the Pulaski County Regional Building on Tuesday morning shared their votes with Arkansas Online. Three said they voted for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primary, and two Republican voters both said they cast their ballots for Ted Cruz.
One Clinton supporter, 61-year-old Gary Holt, said he knows Bill Clinton and has a colleague who went to school with the former Arkansas governor.
Holt said of Hillary Clinton: "I think she's the most experienced."
Both Cruz supporters said they believed the Texas senator is a "true conservative."
Amy Franks, 39, said Cruz "is willing to say what he thinks and stand up for those beliefs."
"I believe he's going to get us back on track," said Thurlo Cobb, 43, who said he was most concerned about the economy and changing the tax code. "There's a lot of things that need fixing, and he's going to get it done."
The county building in Little Rock is the main early voting location in the county, and outside greeting voters were two candidates for office: David Johnson, district judge candidate, and Victoria Leigh, a state representative candidate.
Leigh, who is running as a Democrat in North Little Rock's District 38, said it was her first election as a candidate for public office.
"No matter how it turns out, it's been a great ride," Leigh said.
Early voting will continue Tuesday through Saturday and again next week, as well as Feb. 29 at certain locations.
Read Wednesday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.