FAYETTEVILLE -- Some intermittent showers didn't hamper the first day of early voting for the Nov. 8 election as election officials in Northwest Arkansas and the River Valley reported a steady turnout across the region.
Crawford County election officials reported a small "programming error" early Monday that didn't affect any votes cast.
Bill Coleman, chairman of the Crawford County Election Commission, said the party affiliation of candidates didn't initially appear on the screens of the ExpressVote voting machines. Coleman said the omission was brought to the attention of election officials by a number of voters.
"That's been corrected," Coleman said Monday afternoon. "There were some people who wanted to vote a straight party-line ticket and didn't know which party the candidates in some races were in. We do have sample ballots at each location and poll workers were able to assist any voters who needed the help."
Coleman said the omission of the party affiliation will not have any effect on counting the votes.
Other than that, Coleman said voting in Crawford County was "pretty consistent." He said the county had seen about 650 to 700 voters in the two vote centers by late-afternoon on Monday. He didn't have numbers from past elections to compare to the 2022 turnout, he said.
Early voting continues through Nov. 7. Dates and hours will vary by location. Election Day is Nov. 8
In Washington County, voter turnout was strong and steady, according to Jennifer Price, the county's elections director. Price said the county had more than 300 votes cast in the first 90 minutes of early voting.
"If they keep up that pace, we'll match what we did in 2018, which is the last comparable election," Price said.
According to information from Washington County, there were 2,769 votes cast Monday. There were 2,981 votes cast on the first day of early voting in 2018, the most recent non-presidential election year.
Adam Heir, who lives near Johnson, said he "almost always" casts his ballot during the early voting period.
"I always recommend voting early if you can," he said. "It's nice to beat the long lines on Election Day."
Paula Hill of Fayetteville said she cast an absentee ballot in 2020 because of the covid-19 pandemic. Hill said casting her vote in person is part of getting back to a more normal life.
"I feel like I can and I'm back in the world now," she said.
Hill said she had no problems voting and complimented the county's election officials and poll workers for the work they do.
"With all the partisanship we have in this country I'm so grateful that people are willing to vote and willing to help," she said.
Sebastian County Clerk Sharon Brooks said turnout in that county was "very steady" throughout the day Monday. By mid-afternoon, the county had seen 1,162 votes cast at the county's six vote centers, Brooks said.
Benton County has 13 early voting sites including county clerk locations in Bentonville, Rogers and Siloam Springs and the Election Commission office in Rogers.
According to information from the Benton County Clerk's office, there were 3,669 votes cast Monday. In 2018, there were 4,035 votes cast on the first day or early voting.
One change in early voting and Election Day sites is the Centerton Community Building at 290 Main St., said county election coordinator Kim Dennison. The site replaces Reach Church in Centerton, she said.
Also, NewLife Christian Church at 103 Riordan Road in Bella Vista -- the only early voting location in that city -- will not be open for early voting Oct. 31 because of a previously scheduled event, Dennison said.
In the Siloam Springs area, Dennison urged early voters to use the Siloam Springs Community Building at 110 N. Mount Olive St. to take some of the pressure off the county clerk's satellite office at 707 Lincoln St. The county clerk's location is in a small building with not much parking and there are only four voting machines. There are 10 voting machines at the community center, she said.
Just before 11 a.m. Monday, 32 people had voted at the community center compared to 111 at the county clerk's satellite office.
Daren Mitchell of Siloam Springs voted at the community center Monday. He travels for work and likes the convenience of early voting. He was out to get an oil change for his vehicle and decided to early vote, too.
Bruce Davis of Bentonville and Parker Overman of Centerton voted at the County Administration Office in downtown Bentonville on Monday. Davis said he has voted early in previous elections.
"I just like to get it over with because of the shorter lines," Davis said.
"I think it's extremely important for everyone to come out and vote," Overman said.
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NoneVoter information
Voters can view a sample ballot before heading to the polls at: https://www.voterview.ar-nova.org/VoterView and can also verify their registration information.
The text of the ballot issues can be found at: https://bit.ly/3VUEDBo
Source: Washington County