Vote! Vote! Vote!

Vote! Vote! Vote!

Franklin Roosevelt once said, “Nobody will ever deprive the American people of the right to vote except the American people themselves and the only way they could do this is by not voting.”

Nearly half of all registered voters cast a ballot in the last general election in 2014. Unfortunately, Crittenden County had one of the lowest turnouts in the state at 36.6 percent.

This Tuesday, we have an opportunity to let all of our voices be heard. Arkansas is one of 14 states where voters will cast a ballot on March 1 in the Presidential Primary. Early voting has already begun. By moving our primary from May to March, we are already seeing more candidates visit Arkansas.

By now we are all quite familiar with the Presidential candidates who will appear on the ballot. But I want to encourage you to review the other races on the ballot which will have a significant impact on our community, state, and judicial system. You may want to look at a ballot ahead of time to see if these local elections will be included on the party ballot that you choose.

The non-partisan contest includes two Supreme Court Justice positions including the election of the Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court.

Arkansas has an open primary which means any registered voter can cast a vote, regardless of his or her political affiliation. Once at the polling site, all voters must choose a party ballot, Democrat or Republican, before you vote. You are held to that affiliation in the case of a runoff election. You can verify your registration and view your Election Day polling location at www.voterview.org.

Early voting for Crittenden County takes place at the County Court House. I look forward to seeing you at the polls.

From State Representative Deborah Ferguson