Voter registration is now closed in Arkansas, and America is in the homestretch to the 2020 General Election, with early voting set to begin Oct. 19.
Garland County has added three early voting locations to ensure
social distancing.
"For early voting, we're opening seven locations, whereas the most we've ever had is four," Garland County Election Commission Chairman Gene Haley said. "So basically, we're spreading out the business, if you would, between seven locations. All of them open every day for two weeks."
One unique addition to the polling locations this year is the 14,000-square-foot Hot Springs Convention Center, a venue Haley suspects will fit about 15 machines, while still allowing appropriate social distancing.
"This will be the biggest (polling location) we've ever had, and my hope is ... we can get probably a couple of hundred people indoors waiting in line and still be 6 feet apart, so that's kind of our goal there," he said.
All locations will be equipped with personal protective equipment.
"The state has provided us with PPE, with stickers for the floor that says maintain 6 feet, as well as masks, gloves, face shields, hand sanitizer and alcohol wipes to sanitize the equipment between voters," Haley said. "We're doing everything we can to make sure people are safe."
It was planned for polling places to also have disposable styluses to use in the voting booths, as opposed to the usual reusable styluses available that would be touched by multiple voters, but Haley said they have yet to come in.
"(The state) told me Friday that they are waiting on the shipment from the manufacturer," he said. "We know we can vote on our express vote -- that's the machine that actually marks your ballot -- we can vote that with a Q-Tip, we just cannot sign our tablet with a Q-Tip.
"We'll go buy a bunch of Q-Tips if that's what it takes, but I'm still waiting on the state to come through."
Haley said that in the 2016 presidential election, 60% of votes cast were early votes, and while they do expect many early voters this year, he said the increased amount of absentee voters may lessen the number of voters needing to come out to vote early. He noted the county is close to 5,000 requests for absentee ballots compared to the typical 1,200.
"So the more that vote absentee, the less that will show up for early voting or Election Day," he said.
Regardless of how someone votes, when voting in-person Haley said it will be safe amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We think it's going to be safe; we're doing everything we can to protect both our poll workers and the voters," he said. "I don't really see any issue with early voting; you go in, you vote, you get out."
Early voting locations are as follows:
• Election Commission Building at 649-A Ouachita Ave.
• Hot Springs Mall at 4501 Central Ave.
• Community Baptist Church at 3518 Highway 7 north.
• LakePointe Church at 1343 Albert Pike Road.
• Unitarian Universalist Church at 403 Barcelona Road.
• First Baptist Church Royal at 7402 Albert Pike Road.
• Hot Springs Convention Center at Church Street, off Malvern Avenue.
Early voting date and times are as follows:
• 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 19-23.
• 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 24.
• 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 26-30.
• 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 31.
• 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 2.
Election Day is Nov. 3, and polling locations will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
