Local ballots for the 2014 elections confirm a continuing political trend in Northwest Arkansas.
When these elections end, there will be more Republicans than ever in county and district offices in the two-county area.
Plus, competition for county offices is increasingly limited. So, voters will make comparatively few choices this year.
While voters will also decide several non-partisan judicial races as well as legislative and statewide contests, this comparison is of the partisan elections for countywide office, for quorum courts and for constable. The Republican trend has never been so obvious at the local level.
When the filing period closed last week, the Republicans had a lock on all Benton County offices, both in the courthouse and on the Quorum Court.
No Democrats even filed for any of those offices this year. The only non-Republican to be assured election is an unopposed Libertarian Party candidate for constable.
There will be one key Republican primary race for Benton County judge. Otherwise, voters will only choose among Republicans for two Quorum Court seats and that one constable position.
In other words, six countywide offices and 13 of 15 Quorum Court seats will go to unopposed Republicans.
Meanwhile, in Washington County, there will be only slightly more activity at the county level.
Voters will decide general election races for county judge and for sheriff. But Republicans are assured of five other countywide offices. A Democrat is running unopposed for coroner, but only Republicans filed for county clerk, circuit clerk, treasurer, collector and assessor. Two Republicans filed for assessor. The party's nominee will be unopposed in November.
As for the Washington County Quorum Court, the election was over on filing day for nine of the county's 15 seats. Six of those candidates are Republicans and three are Democrats.
The remaining six seats will be decided in November's general election, although Republicans will face primaries in two of those to determine the party's nominees.
Three constable races will be resolved in the general election. Five Republicans filed for one position. The eventual nominee will face a Libertarian in November. One Democrat and one Republican are seeking the other two positions.
Seeing these offices trend so strongly Republican isn't as much of a surprise as the relative lack of competition for the offices. These offices are more, not less important than they were in the past because county government is much more complex.
Leave the constables out of the conversation. That office is not critical to county government and should be eliminated. It won't be because it is a constitutional office and no one seems willing to put any energy into its abolition.
But the countywide offices and the quorum courts are important to county government. Some of the courthouse offices might be more effective if combined of made into appointive positions, but all of them now have a purpose.
Whatever their respective roles, county officials and quorum courts are managing an evermore demanding level of government.
Too often, residents of counties fail to understand that this level of government serves not just rural resident but every resident of a given county. Nor do they see the scope of county government and the impact of decisions made by officials, especially county judges and quorum courts.
These people manage multimillion-dollar budgets, setting spending priorities that affect everyday lives of all county residents.
Maybe it is the complexity of the government that causes so little competition these days.
Certainly, incumbents may be being rewarded for their service by drawing no opposition. But there seems to be something more going on here.
Just look at the numbers. In these two counties, each of which has 15 members on its Quorum Court, there is competition for only two Benton County seats and six Washington County seats.
Each county has contested races for county judge. Washington County will see a Republican primary for assessor and general election race for sheriff.
That's it. And that's disappointing.
BRENDA BLAGG IS A FREELANCE COLUMNIST AND LONGTIME JOURNALIST IN NORTHWEST ARKANSAS.
Commentary on 03/10/2014