BRENDA BLAGG: Study up, then vote

Resources aplenty for the homework of citizenship

The midterm election is less than a week away and, despite good intentions, you're not fully prepared to vote.

You know it's an important election, historic even for a midterm. That message you've heard a thousand different times from all kinds of sources.

You know the focus is on the makeup of the U.S. Congress and whether Republicans will retain control of both houses or lose the majority in one or both.

Changing that balance of power is equated to putting a check on President Donald Trump, while continued Republican control is seen as further empowering this president.

In Arkansas, that fight filters down to races for the state's four congressional seats, all held by Republicans who are each facing both Democratic and Libertarian challengers.

You're ready for that vote, eager even to weigh in on this perceived referendum on the Trump presidency -- whichever side of the political divide you're on.

What about the rest of the ballot? You may not even know what will be on it, much less how to vote.

Start by knowing exactly what will be on your individual ballot, which can be determined in minutes online at www.voterview.ar-nova.org.

Through Voter View on the Arkansas secretary of state's elections web site, any registered voter in Arkansas can review a sample ballot. Not a generic ballot, but one specific to where they live, including local races.

Just plug in the county in which the voter is registered, provide a name and birth date and get the ballot for the voter's precinct for the upcoming election. The site will also identify the precinct and where the polling place is located.

Even those without personal computers can get help at a local library or other public resource to pull up the site.

Be warned. It is a long ballot with partisan and nonpartisan races as well as complex ballot questions at the state level. Then there may be legislative races at the district level and county and city races at the local level.

If you haven't kept track leading up to the election, you can still prepare to vote.

Most candidates in significant races have either websites or social media pages that provide at least some sort of profile. Simple online searches, including news searches, can turn up additional information.

In higher profile races, candidate debates held earlier this month on the Arkansas Educational Television Network offer further insight. Online recordings of the debates are available at www.aetn.org/programs/elections.

The AETN site also provides convenient links to the individual websites of each of the candidates for all four Arkansas congressional seats and for governor, attorney general, lieutenant governor and secretary of state.

There are also partisan statewide races -- but no AETN debates -- for three other state offices: state treasurer, auditor and commissioner of state lands. And there is a single nonpartisan statewide race, a runoff for an Arkansas Supreme Court associate justice position.

Potentially the most time-consuming chore for voters is understanding the ballot issues that will appear statewide.

There are five issues printed on the ballot, but, as a result of successful legal challenges, votes for and against Issue 1 (tort reform) and Issue 3 (legislative term limits) will not be counted.

Voters need only prepare to vote on the remaining three issues.

Issue 2 would amend the state Constitution to require voters to present photographic identification (which is already required by state law) at the polling place.

Issue 4 would amend the state Constitution to provide for casino gaming at four locations. One each would be at or adjacent to existing dog and horse racing tracks in Crittenden and Garland counties, respectively, and one each in Pope and Jefferson counties.

Issue 5 is a proposed initiated act to raise the Arkansas minimum wage from $8.50 per hour to $9.25 per hour in 2019, $10 per hour in 2020 and $11 per hour in 2021.

For a detailed neutral analysis of the ballot issues, see the Voter Guide published by the Public Policy Center at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture at www.uaex.edu/ballot.

The site offers arguments for and against the issues as well as details on specific changes proposed in the state Constitution or in state law.

Take the time to sort out the issues and candidates on your ballot, then go vote. Early voting continues through Monday and the polls will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Commentary on 10/31/2018

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