Early voting in the Little Rock sales tax election begins Tuesday, Sept. 7, and the final day to vote is Sept. 14.
The roughly 128,000 registered voters within the Little Rock city limits are being asked to decide on a proposed one-cent sales tax increase that would be in place for 10 years to fund parks, the zoo, infrastructure, early childhood programs and public safety.
The last day new voters could register to be eligible to vote in this election was Aug. 16, but people already registered in Arkansas who need to update their addresses can do so through Sept. 10. The roughly 128,000 registered voters within the city limits can check at voterview.org to make sure their registrations are correct and preview a sample ballot.
Early voting is offered on weekdays only, Tuesday, Sept. 7, through Monday, Sept. 13. Polls at the Pulaski County Regional Building will be open from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. The six other early voting locations will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Early voting centers won’t be open Sept. 14. People voting on Sept. 14 will need to go to their assigned polling places, which will be open 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Voters wanting to cast absentee ballots have some new hoops to jump through. Here are the instructions from the Pulaski County Clerk’s office. Follow these instructions to a T, and remember that Arkansas has among the highest rejection rates for absentee ballots in the country.
Pulaski County voters and/or their designated bearer have until September 10 before 5:00 p.m. to request an absentee ballot application. Due to new election laws regarding absentee voting, an absent ballot returned in person by the voter and/or designated bearer must be returned at the Pulaski County Courthouse the Friday before Election Day, September 10 before 5:00 p.m. Absentee ballots that were mailed in must be received by the County Clerk’s Office before 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
Voters who wish to vote by absentee ballot can submit their request in person at the courthouse at 401 West Markham Street, or by email, mail or fax to the voter registration department.
NOTE: a designated bearer is a person who fetches and/or returns a ballot for an absentee voter. Plenty of ballots cast in the 2020 general election, even one belonging to Sen. Tom Cotton’s wife, got thrown out because designated bearers didn’t sign in the right place or made other clerical errors. Be very careful.