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Arkansas Elections: Latest Results

11:30 p.m.

Arkansas has become the first state in the Bible Belt to legalize medical marijuana.

With their approval of Issue 6 on Tuesday, voters will allow patients with a variety of medical conditions and a doctor's permission to buy marijuana from dispensaries. Patients won't be allowed to grow their own.

Some political leaders said they preferred that Arkansas legislators instead allow a version of the drug that is low in THC, which gives marijuana its high.

10:56 p.m.

Bruce Coleman, GOP, elected State House, District 81, Arkansas.

10:42 p.m.

Les Warren, GOP, elected State House, District 25, Arkansas.

10:42 p.m.

Jimmy Gazaway, GOP, elected State House, District 57, Arkansas.

10:42 p.m.

Danny Watson, GOP, elected State House, District 3, Arkansas.

10:28 p.m.

Justin Boyd, GOP, elected State House, District 77, Arkansas.

10:27 p.m.

Brandt Smith, GOP, elected State House, District 58, Arkansas.

10:25 p.m.

Jane English, GOP, elected State Senate, District 34, Arkansas.

10 p.m.

Arkansas voters are loosening restrictions on how far the state can go to land major economic development projects.

Voters on Tuesday passed Issue 3, which removes limits on how much state money can be spent on projects.

Voters approved an economic development plan in 2004, but bond issues were capped at 5 percent of the state's general revenues.

Proponents said that easing the restrictions would make it easier to compete for large projects that could bring hundreds of new jobs to the state. Opponents warned that poor judgment by the Legislature could ruin the state budget and cause tax increases down the road.

Under Arkansas' most recent budget, Arkansas bond issues for economic development projects cannot exceed $259.5 million. Issue 3 also lets local governments appropriate money for economic development.

9:55 p.m.

Arkansas voters say sheriffs and other local officials can serve four-year terms rather than have to run for re-election every two years.

With their approval Tuesday of Issue 1, certain county officials won't be able to hold some civil offices. For instance, a sheriff or coroner could not also serve as a town's mayor. The measure also defines the types of crimes that would make someone ineligible for office.

Legislators had placed the issue before voters. Those in favor said longer terms would give officeholders a greater amount of time to push their ideas through. Opponents said those in office would be more accountable if they were on the ballot every two years.

An "infamous crime" is now defined as a felony, an abuse of office or offenses that include deceit or fraud.

9:45 p.m.

Voters believe Arkansas' governor should retain his or her powers while traveling outside of the state.

Voters on Tuesday approved Issue 2, which will let the governor keep his or her powers and duties while traveling. Until now, the governor would give control to the lieutenant governor. If the governor and lieutenant governor were both out of state, the Senate president would be in charge.

9:33 p.m.

Will Bond, Dem, elected State Senate, District 32, Arkansas.

8:43 p.m.

Republican Rep. French Hill will represent the Little Rock area in Washington for a second term, winning re-election by defeating Democrat Dianne Curry and Libertarian Chris Hayes.

Hill spoke against some business regulations during his campaign, while Curry supported raising the minimum wage. Hayes said businesses shouldn't take advantage of workers, but that the government shouldn't mandate wage levels.

Hill said a minimum wage set too high would reduce employment. He said that all job markets are local, and that a "one size fits all" approach would be inappropriate. As a Republican, Hill received questions during the campaign about his support for GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Hill said he based his choice for president on the prospects for national security and job growth.

8:25 p.m.
 
     Republican Rep. Bruce Westerman has defeated Libertarian Kerry Hicks and will represent southern and western Arkansas for a second term in Congress.
 
     Both Westerman and Hicks said before Tuesday's election that they wanted to address federal spending, notably a $20 trillion national debt. Hicks said the nation needed a "smarter" national defense that didn't require spending half-a-trillion dollars a year.
 
     Westerman said the focus needed to be on spending on social services and interest on the nation's debt. He said if Medicare and Social Security aren't fixed, they'll go bankrupt.
 
     Two years ago, Westerman defeated a former Clinton Administration official, James Lee Witt. This year, Democrats did not field a candidate for the seat.
 
     ---
 
     8:12 p.m.
 
     Arkansas Republican John Boozman has been re-elected to the Senate, defeating a former U.S. attorney who repeatedly criticized Boozman over his support for Donald Trump.
 
     Boozman won his second Senate term by defeating Democrat Conner Eldridge in Tuesday's election.
 
     In their only face-to-face debate ahead of the election, Eldridge last month criticized Boozman for backing Trump, saying the GOP presidential nominee couldn't be trusted with the nation's nuclear codes. Boozman in turn ran ads critical of Eldridge, calling him President Barack Obama's "gift" to the state. In last month's debate, Boozman criticized Eldridge for supporting the Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton.
 
     The two differed on the Affordable Care Act, called "Obamacare" by its critics. Eldridge said repealing the law would leave 300,000 Arkansans who are on the state's hybrid Medicaid expansion without medical insurance. Boozman has cast numerous votes in favor of repealing the 2010 law.
 
     ---
 
     8:10 p.m.
 
     Republican Donald Trump has taken Arkansas' six electoral votes by defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton in the state where she served as first lady for 12 years.
 
     Arkansas' political landscape has changed greatly since Bill Clinton was governor and president. Republicans have won Arkansas in each presidential election since Bill Clinton was re-elected in 1996. The GOP also controls Arkansas' Legislature and congressional delegation.
 
     Trump carried Arkansas during the primary season, though he split delegates with Sens. Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. With Arkansas leaning to the right politically, there was no need for Trump to visit after he won the state's primary in March.
 
     Except for years when Clinton was on the ticket, Republicans have won Arkansas in every presidential election since Jimmy Carter won the state in 1976.
 
     ---
 
     8:03 p.m
 
     Republican congressman Rick Crawford is heading back to Washington for a fourth term from eastern and northern Arkansas.
 
     The incumbent defeated Libertarian Mark West in Tuesday's election. The Democrats did not field a candidate.
 
     While both candidates said they would work to repeal the nation's health care law and to open trade with Cuba, they differed on how to best to reduce government spending. West said he would end expensive military operations, while Crawford suggested during a debate last month that he'd implement a government hiring freeze.
 
     Crawford accused his opponent of being "socially liberal." West said after last month's debate that he opposes abortion and also says the government shouldn't be involved in issuing marriage licenses.
 
     ---
 
     8 p.m.
 
     Republican congressman Steve Womack has won a fourth term to Congress from northwestern Arkansas.
 
     Womack turned back a challenge from Libertarian Steve Isaacson in Tuesday's election. Isaacson claimed during the campaign that Womack hadn't adequately helped veterans during his three terms in office. The incumbent said he had helped specific veterans and that, in general, he worked to boost funding for Veterans Affairs programs.
 
     Isaacson said after a debate last month that he had intended to challenge Womack in the Republican primary but didn't qualify for the ballot in time. In the presidential race, Isaacson backed Republican Donald Trump instead of the Libertarian Party candidate, Gary Johnson.
 
     Last month, Isaacson also acknowledged being convicted of identity theft in 2009 amid a dispute over a satellite TV bill.
 
     ---
 
     7:30 p.m.
 
     Polls have closed in Arkansas, with the presidential race still too early to call.
 
     Officials reported brisk turnout at the polls Tuesday as voters made their picks for president and Congress and weighed in on several ballot measures, including one that would legalize medical marijuana.
 
     Elections officials say more than 600,000 voters cast ballots during Arkansas' two-week early voting period and predicted that about 70 percent of the state's 1.7 million registered voters would cast ballots during this election.
 
     Although Hillary Clinton was Arkansas' first lady for 12 years when her husband was governor of the state, voters in the increasingly conservative state are expected to back Republican Donald Trump.
 
     Voters were also deciding several ballot measures, including the medical marijuana issue and whether to allow the governor to retain his or her powers while traveling out of state.
 
 

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