ELECTIONS
IMPORTANT 2008 ELECTION INFORMATION
REGISTRATION
Citizens must submit a completed Arkansas Voter Registration Application by the April 21, 2008 deadline to participate in this election. Click here to view and print off a copy of the application .
Even if you are already a registered Arkansas voter, it is important to keep your voter registration information current. Click here to verify your information: www.voterview.org. If you see anything that needs to be updated, please contact your county clerk immediately. A listing of contact information for county clerks is available at www.arcounties.org/counties.
In 2007, the state legislature passed a law allowing for county-to-county transfer of voter registrations up to four days before the election. So, if you are a registered Arkansas voter and have recently moved to a new county in Arkansas, this provision will help ensure that you’ll be able to vote at your new polling place. The deadline for transferring your voter registration from your former county of residence to your current one is May 16, 2008 for this election.
PARTY PREFERENCE
When filling out the voter registration application, you’ll notice a box to list party affiliation. Listing this information is not required, but if you do choose to list a party, you are still free to vote in another party’s primary election. Arkansas’s preferential primaries are open elections in which voters do not have to be registered with a particular party in order to vote in that party’s primary.
BALLOT CHOICE
You do have to choose a party affiliation when going to vote at the polls or absentee in a preferential primary election. The poll worker will need to know which party’s ballot to give you. This doesn’t mean you are now a member of that political party. It just means that you are voting in that party’s primary election. To view a listing of the candidates certified to be on the ballot, visit www.arelections.org and click on “Candidate Information.”
ABSENTEE VOTING
If you know you will be unavoidably absent from the polls on the May 20, 2008 Election Day, you may request an absentee ballot from your county clerk. Be sure to include your political party preference so that the clerk will know which party’s ballot to send you. The clerk must receive your mailed absentee ballot request application by May 13, 2008. Once the clerk mails out your ballot, you have to return the voted ballot back to the clerk by Election Day.
EARLY VOTING
Each county provides at least one early voting location (usually the county courthouse), and some offer additional satellite locations. Please check with your county clerk to find the polling place most convenient for you. Early voting for this election will be available from Monday, May 5, 2008 - Monday, May 19, 2008 during regular business hours.
AT THE POLLS VOTING
The Preferential Primary and Nonpartisan General Election occurs on Tuesday, May 20, 2008. Polls are open statewide from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
First-time voters can find out where they will be voting at www.voterview.org.
More information on the voting process, including provisional voting and what to expect when voting, can be found at www.votenaturally.org.
|
