Washington County Adds Early Voting Sites, Debates Animal Shelter

FAYETTEVILLE -- The months-long push for additional early voting sites this fall passed its final vote during a special Washington County Quorum Court meeting Tuesday.

The proposal brings the total sites to six, up from two in the 2012 election. It was approved by an 8-6 vote. Ron Aman of Prairie Grove, who previously opposed the measure, wasn't present.

At A Glance

Washington County Early Voting Locations

Before Tuesday’s Vote:

• Fayetteville: County Courthouse

• Springdale: Rodeo Community Center

Tuesday’s Vote Adds:

• Fayetteville: Boys & Girls Club, Medical Arts Pharmacy

• Springdale: Arvest Ballpark

• Prairie Grove: City Hall

Source: County Election Commission

Early voting for the Nov. 4 election begins Oct. 20. After Tuesday's vote, early voters from anywhere in the county can cast their ballots at the Rodeo Community Center and Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, the Boys & Girls Club, county courthouse and Medical Arts Pharmacy in Fayetteville or Prairie Grove's City Hall.

The county Election Commission, which includes an election coordinator and three people appointed by the county political parties, made the request. Jennifer Price, the election coordinator, said the popularity of early voting seems to be going nowhere but up.

The new sites will cost the county an extra $29,000 in supplies and poll worker time, a bump of about 5 percent to the commission's $523,000 budget. The cities where the votes are cast will reimburse about a third of that cost.

Through several weeks in front of the county panel, the proposal never managed to get more than eight votes in favor. Bill Ussery of Springdale and Butch Pond of Fayetteville, both Republicans, joined the Democrats to support the plan, but all other Republicans aligned against it.

"This was flawed from the start," said Rex Bailey of Springdale, who pushed strongly for the inclusion of the ballpark. He said Tuesday the Election Commission had treated its request like a game to be won or lost.

"Let's just go back to the way it's been," Bailey said. "Nobody loses."

Tom Lundstrum of Elm Springs, the plan's staunchest opponent, noted the cost is a tiny fraction of the county's $63 million budget. But other departments have requests, too, he said, and they add up.

Candy Clark of Fayetteville sharply disagreed, saying spending about 27 cents per registered voter directly for the voter's benefit is worthwhile.

"Will it get them to the polls? I hope so, but it'll give them the opportunity," Clark said.

After the vote, the Quorum Court's county services committee turned to the monthly update from the county animal shelter. Almost 1,500 cats and dogs have come through the shelter this year, up slightly from 2013.

A discussion about the shelter's adoption discounts soon expanded to whether the shelter's budget, which comes to about $300 per animal, was worth the animal control and adoption services it provides. The shelter has been subject to similar disputes between the Republicans and Democrats since it opened in 2012.

Lundstrum joked the best way to deal with stray cats and dogs was a Louisville slugger, prompting backlash.

"Our society today will not let us shoot all these animals," Ann Harbison of West Fork said, adding doing otherwise will always cost money. "That's what it comes down to."

NW News on 09/03/2014

Upcoming Events