Early voting winding down

Early voting for the 2024 preferential primary election began Feb. 20 in preparation for the election next Tuesday, March 5. Voters from both parties are able to vote for presidential nominees, as well as elected officials for a variety of offices.

Tuesday, March 5, is the Arkansas Preferential Primary and Nonpartisan General Election.
Early voting continues at the Newton County Courthouse from 8-6 p.m. and Saturdays,10-4 p.m. Polling sites will be open Tuesday, March 5, from 7:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.

The Newton County Election Commission has announced two polling site changes for this and following elections this election cycle.

Polling site changes:
Big Creek is changed from Mt. Judea Fire Station to the Mt. Judea School.
Pleasant Hill is changed from Deer Fire Department to the Deer ABC Building.

County voters can vote at any voting centers. Besides the two changed locations are Swain Community Building, Top of state Highway 7 Spur - Hub, Western Grove City Hall, Parthenon Community Center, Old Nursing Home, Lurton Community Building, Low Gap Church, Ponca Fire Station and Log Hall Church.
According to the Arkansas Secretary of State, Republican voters will be able to pick from a slate of candidates for presidential nominee, although many have publicly ended their campaigns. The list includes Asa Hutchinson, Ron DeSantis, Ryan L. Binkley, Doug Burgum, Chris Christie, Vivek Ramaswamy, David Stuckenberg, Donald J. Trump and Nikki Haley.
Trump and Haley are the current Republican frontrunners. Hutchinson, DeSantis, Burgum, Christie and Ramaswamy have ended their campaigns.

Democratic voters also have a choice of presidential nominees. In addition to President Joe Biden, Marianne Williamson, Dean Phillips, Armando “Mando” Perez-Serrato, Stephen P. Lyons and Frankie Lozada will be on the ballot.
The ballots also include a list of unopposed candidates from both parties who will run for various offices.
Voters will also be able to vote in the nonpartisan general judicial election. Arkansas Supreme Court justices Rhonda Wood, Karen Baker and Barbara Womack Webb, along with former state Rep. Jay Martin, will vie for chief justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court, a position currently held by Chief Justice John Dan Kemp.
Running for position 2, currently held by Associate Justice Cody Hiland, are Judge Carlton D. Jones of the Eighth South Judicial Circuit and Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Courtney Hudson, who currently holds position 3.
Judge Casey Tucker of the Sixth Judicial Circuit, along with Pam Hathaway and Molly McNulty, both appellate law clerks, will run for associate judge at position 1 of District 6 in the Arkansas Court of Appeals, which includes Pulaski, Saline and Perry counties. The position is currently held by Judge Rita W. Gruber.
Attorneys Brent Eubanks, Robert Cortinez and Brooke-Augusta Ware will contend for a Pulaski County circuit judge position.
Three state district judge races are on the ballot, all for positions in Pulaski County: Judge Morgan “Chip” Welch will run against Perryville attorney Beth Burgess; Judge Mackie Pierce will run against prosecuting attorney Jill Kamps; and Judge Herbert Wright will run against attorney Robert E. Tellez.

Other election dates are:

April 2, 2024 - General Primary (Runoff) Election; November 5, 2024 - General Election and Nonpartisan Runoff Election; December 3, 2024 - General Runoff Election.