"Who are you going to vote for in the quorum court race?" one curious voter asks another.
"What's a quorum court?" the other replies.
What’s the point?
Election Day for the 2018 party primaries and nonpartisan judicial elections is approaching. Early voting is underway. But it’s never too late to become better informed before casting a ballot.
If there's a chance of something along those lines happening to you, don't rush down to the courthouse or early voting center to cast your ballot just yet. You've still got some homework to do.
People have lives, so it's not the end of the world if a voter doesn't immediately know every nugget of information about who the state auditor is or that some school board member elections are happening this spring while others will happen in the fall.
But here's the deal: May 22 is the primary election date. It's time to do some homework.
Beyond time, some might say. Studying the political lay of the land now might seem like cramming for school finals. Well, if most of us are honest about it, we'll have to admit to doing that once or twice, too. Let the critics cast their stones. With more than a week remaining before the Republican and Democratic primaries, the nonpartisan judicial elections and school board elections, there's still time for an uncertain voter to hunker down and learn about candidates and issues.
These days, it's not nearly as hard as it used to be. The Internet -- criticized as much as it has been because of the Russian efforts to interfere through social media and online advertising in the 2016 presidential race -- nonetheless remains a strong tool. But don't just cruise through Facebook waiting to be swayed by some ad or recommended story, driven by a secret algorithm a computer nerd in Mark Zuckerberg's employ came up with. No, the Internet doesn't require a voter to passively await bombardment by political influencers. It's a tool voters can and should use to proactively seek out details about candidates.
Where?
The Arkansas Secretary of State's Office has a searchable database of candidates for state- and federal-
level offices, searchable by name, by party or by the position they're seeking. Or you can enter your county and get a list of candidates just within your county.
The state also has a web-based site at VoterView.org where a voter can input his name and date of birth to review his voter registration information, see the address of his nearest election day polling place and, best of all, actually get to see sample ballots based on the party primary one chooses -- Republican, Democrat or, for those who don't want to deal with the partisan decisions, a ballot that includes only the nonpartisan judicial races.
One of our favorite suggestions is to get a newspaper subscription (surprise!). Our reporters strive to keep readers informed. The Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette also manages NWAVote.com, where readers can look at election-related stories. Yes, it's subscription-based after the first few stories because journalists like to eat, too. But subscribers can tool around and read stories related to the primaries and see other candidates they'll need to know more about as we head into the Nov. 6 General Election.
Naturally, candidates also post information about their campaigns on their own websites. They must be read with a critical eye because they're often too generalized on issues and are written more for marketing than for informing, but reviewing what the candidate and challengers allow their websites to say is certainly relevant.
Typically one can find significant information through Facebook or Twitter or by simply putting a candidate's name through Google, Yahoo or another search service. Anything not originating from a known, reputable source should be taken with a healthy dose of skepticism, but there can be good information out there.
Social media candidate websites and our NWADG.com website can also deliver information about where and when candidates are speaking at local events. Interested in a particular race? There's nothing quite like seeing a candidate face to face. Some of them can also be found in front of the local courthouse during early voting as they try one last opportunity to remind voters of who they are. We're sure they'd be glad to visit with any prospective voter.
There's also one more change we can think of. Although disputed in court, Arkansans for now need to have a photo identification card with them when they're asking to receive a ballot. Not everyone cares for the requirement, which a judge ruled unconstitutional, but the state Supreme Court ruled the law should be followed this Primary season while the question of its legality winds through the courts.
Local election officials also stressed in a recent story that they're confident in the security of their election systems. Every county in Arkansas makes its own decisions about many aspects of running elections, but several officials stressed how voting machines and counters are not hooked up to the Internet, keeping them free from the potential of skulduggery.
That's good to know. Apparently, if the Russians want to tinker around with elections in Arkansas, they're going to have to show up in person.
And bring an ID.
Commentary on 05/11/2018