Polls are open until 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in Arkansas’s primary election. Turnout has been reported to be light, as expected, at locations around the state.
At West Side Baptist Church in Little Rock, a steady trickle of voters made their way in and out of the polling site. But Larry Brannon noted he didn’t have a lot to choose from.
“I voted in the Democratic primary and so the choices are very lean, but I don’t want to miss voting, so I came. Most of (the races) were unopposed, but principally I wanted to vote for Mr. Ross and take a good look at the ballot.”
Mike Ross is running against Lynette Bryant for the Democratic nomination for Governor. On the Republican, Asa Hutchinson is running against Curtis Coleman.
Voter Tonya Page also said she wished there were more candidates to choose from.
“I do. On the Democratic side, I really do,” she said.
Most of the action in Arkansas is in Republican races, where there are challenges for the party’s nomination for the 2nd and 4th Congressional districts, as well as lieutenant governor and attorney general.
The Secretary of State’s office projected only about 20 percent of registered Arkansas voters will participate in the election. Something Brannon hopes will change in November’s general election.
“There’s not really any hot issues, but as we get further along, hopeful turnouts will increase and grow.”
Candidates in challenged races Tuesday will need to get at least 50 percent of the vote to avoid a runoff on June 10.
As of mid-afternoon Tuesday, election officials said no major problems at been reported.
