Crawford, Sebastian counties see high early voter turnout

story by Marla Cantrell
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If the first week of early voting in Crawford County is any indicator, the May 18 primary is going to be one of the most anticipated in recent years.

As of early Friday (May 7) afternoon, 506 residents had cast votes. County Clerk Teresa Armer said approximately 3,000 voters turned out for the last primary.

Of the 506, about half the ballots are Democratic and half Republican. The equal divide could be the result of the two major state races drawing national attention and advertising dollars.

U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., is battling two opponents from her own party, Lt. Gov. Bill Halter and D.C. Morrison. Eight Republicans, including U.S. Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers, are in the GOP primary for the U.S. Senate seat.

Add to those hot races the Republican primary for the Arkansas District 66 State Representative race between Van Buren residents Gary Deffenbaugh and Kevin Holmes, and voters have a lot to think about.

“There are tough races on both sides, and that’s really drawing out both sides,” Armer said.

The county is in the final phase of installing a new program on its Web site for those following the vote online.

“They’re coming Tuesday to test it,” Armer said. “There will be graphs explaining the vote and it’s supposed to be an exceptionally good product.”

Armer, who is running unopposed this year, is bracing for a long day at work on May 18.

“It can take a long time. We’ve been here until 3:45 in the morning,” Armer said. “We’re back at 8 a.m. the next morning.”

The night she’s referring to was in November 1994, when Mayor Allen Ray Toothaker took on an upstart named John Riggs. There was only one vote separating the two candidates. The next day the tedious hand count started. In the end, Riggs won. Armer said it’s those elections that keep the job exciting.

In Sebastian County, 1.362 voters took advantage of the first week of early voting, according to deputy county clerk Angie Hatwig. There were 1,059 voters during the first week of early voting in the May 2008 primary.

“For the first week in a primary, we’ve been really busy,” Hatwig said.

Early voting ends May 17.