Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced at his daily press conference today (Aug. 7) that he signed an executive order in regards to absentee voting for the upcoming election.
“If you have a COVID-related concern about going to the polls in November, then you will qualify for an absentee ballot,” he said.
Furthermore, county clerks can prepare ballots in advance “without opening up the envelope” to make counting easier on Election Day, November 3 beginning at 8:30 a.m.
“They will be a little bit ahead with the number of absentee ballots that we expect during this campaign and election season,” said Hutchinson.
According to the governor, the number of absentee ballot requests has “increased rather dramatically” since the first announcement and clarification about absentee ballots on Thursday, July 2. Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston previously stated that the current laws allow individuals to vote with an absentee ballot due to the pandemic.
In order to be eligible to vote with an absentee ballot in Arkansas, you must be registered to vote in the state and request a ballot from your local county clerk. Visit here for more information.
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