On the eve of today's general election, the foes and proponents of the proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize recreational marijuana in Arkansas jousted as candidates for state, federal and local offices made their closing pitches to persuade voters to cast ballots.
In today's general election, Arkansas voters will elect a successor to Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson and decide the fate of four proposed constitutional amendments, including Issue 4 that would legalize recreational marijuana in Arkansas.
Polls open today at 7:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m.
Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston's office has projected that 916,674, or about 51%, of the state's 1.79 million registered voters will cast ballots in this year's general election. That forecast is roughly in line with the turnout in the past two midterm elections in 2014 and 2018.
The secretary of state's office reported last Monday afternoon that 454,112 early and absentee ballots had been cast based on results through Saturday and partial results from Monday. That's more than the 430,112 early voting and absentee ballots cast in the latest midterm election in 2018.
In Washington County, voters Monday lined themselves up the stairs, out the door, down the sidewalk and around the corner at the county's only early voting location, the county clerk's office. The early voters enjoyed excellent weather for their wait, with warm temperatures for this time of year, sunshine, no rain and little wind.
"We all know you can early vote two weeks ago, but think 'I'll do it tomorrow,' then tomorrow, then tomorrow," said Eleanor Kurthausen of Fayetteville. "Then I looked up, and this was the only day I had off to do it. If I waited to vote on Election Day, it would take way longer. Yeah, I should have done it weeks ago."
Brittany Phillips, also of Fayetteville, said she was encouraged by the number of young people who were in line to vote. Lee Brown, also of Fayetteville, said she had heard a lot from campaigns and "get out the vote" efforts and was glad to see such a positive response to that message.
Voters in line all said the line was moving at a good clip. Voters Mark and Kristen Kiefer said they were advised by election officials there might be a wait of up to 45 minutes just to get inside the courthouse door, but it did not seem like it would take that long. However long the wait was, they would vote, they said. "We're here to exercise our rights," Kristen Kiefer said.
Washington County had 1,475 people vote Monday. This compares to the 2,769 who early voted on the first Monday allowed and 2,852 on the second Monday of early voting. Both those earlier dates had multiple early voting locations available. Figures show the total number of early votes in Washington county to be 35,997.
Dana Caler, the Benton County Clerk's Office elections administrator/voter supervisor, said the two weeks of early voting went pretty smoothly.
The high turnout day for early voting in the county was 7,100 people Friday, but on Monday, more than 5,000 people had voted by a little after 2:30 p.m., she said.
The wait to vote Monday was about 45 minutes at the County Administration Building in downtown Bentonville, Caler said.
Turnout for early voting by Monday afternoon was about 30% of the county's 181,383 registered voters, she said.
With Hutchinson barred by the state's term limits amendment from seeking reelection, Republican gubernatorial nominee Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Little Rock, Democratic nominee Chris Jones of Little Rock and Libertarian candidate Ricky Dale Harrington Jr. of Pine Bluff are vying for a four-year term as governor.
Speaking to an estimated 250 people at her campaign's get-out-the-vote rally at the Republican Party of Arkansas' headquarters in Little Rock, Sanders said that no candidate for office ever wins on their own, "so we need your help to get across the finish line -- not just me, but each of these other people that you heard from earlier tonight.
"We want to make sure that we finish at record levels," she said early Monday evening. She said she wanted everybody at the get-out-the-rally who hadn't voted to go vote today, and, if they have voted, she said she wanted them to call everybody they know and get them to go and vote today and to put signs in their yards so people know who they are supporting.
"I can assure you I will never forgot those who help carry us across the finish line," said Sanders, the daughter of former Gov. Mike Huckabee and a former White House press secretary for former President Donald Trump.
She said she has seen the enthusiasm and the excitement for a new generation of leadership in every single place that she has been to around Arkansas, "and I'm so excited to step in and serve as Arkansas' next governor."
Jones said Monday in a written statement that, "We have the momentum as we finish strong and travel across Arkansas with a message of unity.
"This moment calls on us to come together to reject chaos and embrace community," he said. "Too many voices in Arkansas have been unheard for too long, and it's about time they are heard at the ballot box and in the state Capitol."
Jones said he has been to all 75 counties during this campaign, many of them multiple times, as he's toured the state three times.
"I've listened and walked with countless neighbors across the state, and never once did it matter to me if they were Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Libertarians, or something else," he said. "Elections matter in people's lives."
In today's election, voters also will determine whether Republican U.S. Sen. John Boozman of Rogers is reelected to a third six-year term in the U.S. Senate, and whether Republican U.S. Reps. Rick Crawford of Jonesboro, French Hill of Little Rock, Bruce Westerman of Hot Springs and Steve Womack of Rogers are reelected to the U.S. House of Representatives.
They'll also decide whether Republicans continue to hold the state's other six constitutional offices such as lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, auditor, treasurer and land commissioner; whether state Supreme Court Justice Robin Wynne of Little Rock or District Judge Chris Carnahan of Conway is elected to an eight-year term on the state's high court; and whether the Republican super majority in the state House of Representatives and the state Senate continues, expands or ends.
The Arkansas House of Representatives currently includes 78 Republicans and 22 Democrats; the Arkansas Senate includes 27 Republicans, seven Democrats and an independent.
Opponents of Issue 4 held a news conference Monday morning at the state Capitol to make their closing arguments against the proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize recreational marijuana.
If a majority of voters approved the measure, Issue 4 would allow the sale of cannabis to people 21 or older, prohibit advertising and packaging designed to appeal to children, provide regulatory oversight by limiting the number of licensed businesses and not allow homegrown cannabis. Issue 4 would limit the number of cannabis licenses to 20 cultivators and 120 dispensaries statewide, which includes existing medical marijuana licenses. Lotteries would be held for 40 dispensary licenses and 12 cultivator licenses.
Flanked by around 30 people, Arkansas Surgeon General Greg Bledsoe urged people to vote against Issue 4, saying "I don't believe this is good for Arkansas, it's certainly not healthy."
"I think it's bad for children, bad for students, bad for teachers and educational communities, bad for law enforcement and bad for business," he said.
Hill, who is Arkansas' second district congressman, made an an appeal to libertarian-minded Arkansans saying if Issue 4 is approved, it would be difficult to amend the state's constitution to rework legal marijuana.
"It's not the right thing for our country, it's not the right thing for our state, it's not the right thing for our kids," he said.
State Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, said marijuana is a threat to the well-being of both children and adults.
"This product is dangerous for them when they're young, it's dangerous when adults use [it]," he said.
Watching on the other side of the Capitol Rotunda, Robert McLarty, the campaign director for the Responsible Growth Arkansas committee that supports Issue 4, said the opponents' critical remarks about Issue 4 were "scare tactics" meant to convince voters recreational marijuana would hurt the state's economy, worsen addiction and put kids in harm's way.
"Same old song, different day," McLarty said in a statement.
"The opposition would like voters to believe the sky has fallen in other states that passed cannabis for adult use. It didn't," McLarty said.
People wait to vote, Monday, November 7, 2022 during early voting at the Benton County Administration Building in Bentonville. Visit nwaonline.com/221108Daily/ for today's photo gallery. (NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo)