Early voting begins Tuesday for school board races across Northwest Arkansas.
The election is Sept. 20. There are races for seats in the Bentonville, Rogers, Fayetteville and Farmington school districts.
Early voting
Here are early voting locations for school board races in Benton and Washington counties. Early voting is from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and Sept. 19.
Benton County
• County Clerk’s Office, 215 E. Central Ave., Suite 217, Bentonville
• County Clerk’s Office, 1428 W. Walnut St., Rogers
• County Clerk’s Office, 707 S. Lincoln St., Siloam Springs
Washington County
• County Clerk’s Office, 280 N. College Ave., Fayetteville
Source: Staff report
In Bentonville, incumbent Grant Lightle faces challenges from Beth Haney and Eric White for his Zone 3 board seat. Lightle has served since 2012. Haney is a former board member who served from 2000 to 2012. A runoff election will be held Oct. 11 if necessary.
Lightle is a lawyer for Wal-Mart. Haney isn't employed but volunteers for her church. White works for Tyco as its Wal-Mart relationship team leader.
Fayetteville voters will decide races for two seats. Maria Baez de Hicks and Megan Hurley are vying for the At-Large, Position 1 seat. Both are seeking their first elected office.
Baez de Hicks, who ran unsuccessfully for Washington County justice of the peace in 2012, works for Samsung Electronics. Hurley owns a fitness studio.
Nika Waitsman and Farla Steele-Treat are competing for the Fayetteville board's Zone 1 seat. Waitsman, a homemaker, was appointed to the board's At-Large, Position 1 seat last year. Steele-Treat is education administrator for the Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter.
The At-Large, Position 6 race in Rogers is between three Rogers natives: Mitch Lockhart, Caley Vo and Bob White. One will replace Byron Black, who decided not to run for re-election this year after 10 years on the board.
Lockhart is a financial adviser. Vo is a lawyer. White retired this year as principal of Rogers' Elmwood Middle School.
Also appearing on Rogers ballots will be a choice for the At-Large, Position 7 seat. Nathan Gairhan and Mark Sparks will appear as the candidates, though Sparks announced late last month he was dropping out of the race. Ballots already had been printed by the time Sparks made his decision.
Votes received by any person who withdrew from a race or died after ballots were printed are counted. If that person receives enough votes to win the election, a vacancy in election is declared, according to state law.
Farmington's Position 4 race is between incumbent Amy Hill and Jay Moore.
Hill, who co-owns Hill Electric with her husband, was appointed in July 2015 to finish out the five-year term of former board member Bleaux Barnes. Moore, a lawyer, has served on Farmington's Planning Commission since 2015.
NW News on 09/12/2016