Less than a week remains until Arkansas’s early voting

Little Rock, Arkansas – Even though early voting hasn’t started in earnest yet, local election officials are nevertheless very busy during this time.

The last steps are being taken by poll workers in Pulaski and Saline County to be ready for the early voting period on October 21, 2024.

Voters in thirteen Pulaski County early voting locations will be able to cast their ballots on machines starting next week.

This week, early voting devices are scheduled to be delivered. According to Amanda Dickens, the Pulaski County Election Coordinator, “We’ll set everything up at our early vote sites starting on Wednesday, I believe, and the workers will be ready to go first thing Monday morning at 8:00 a.m.”

Dickens reported that everything has gone smoothly thus far and that she anticipates things to continue that way when next week arrives.

According to her, a new tool that was introduced for the primary allows voters to accurately look for their record with their poll book by scanning their driver’s license, which expedites the check-in process.

Additionally, there are plenty of poll workers to assist during this election season.

Even extras who have volunteered to be alternates are on the list. Thus, they will support us in case something goes wrong,” Dickens continued.

In Saline County, the narrative is much the same.

“We often keep a list of extras on hand. We proceed to train those as well, should the necessity arise. The first day of this election is [we] hoping for a huge day,” Saline County Clerk Doug Curtis stated.

Curtis stated that he has been working on this for some time and is now nearing the end.

“We’re ensuring that every piece of equipment is in good condition. A few batteries and a few parts of the apparatus have to be changed. Thus, everything is excellent at the moment. This coming weekend, we’ll begin sending equipment, and we hope that early voting goes off without a hitch,” he said.

At each of the four early voting locations in the county, more than 200 poll workers are prepared to assist.

“We’re looking for no problems, but we’re prepared for the problems,” he stated.

Curtis added that he anticipates a large turnout of voters who will make their voices known and that they will overcome them if they occur.

“As of right now, Saline County has over 80,000 registered voters—possibly over 81,000 by now—up from 69,345 in 2014.” Thus, a fantastic turnout is anticipated. The election is starting to pique everyone’s interest,” he continued.

Remember that you must carry a picture ID with you to the polls.