Arkansans visiting the Clinton Presidential Center on Monday will have the opportunity to register to vote, thanks to a partnership with the Pulaski County Circuit and County Clerk. According to a news release, volunteers will help Arkansas residents complete their registration and check registration status.
Terri Hollingsworth is the Pulaski County Circuit and County clerk. She says the county selected this day because the Clinton Center offers free admission on President’s Day and tends to get a lot of visitors.
“What a great way to see all of those patrons and make sure that they’re registered. So even if they’re from other counties we can still make sure they’re registered to vote,” Hollingsworth said. She says she hopes to register thousands of new voters, but estimates to get a couple of hundred at minimum.
Those visiting from Arkansas counties outside Pulaski County will be able to register to vote and their information will be sent to the proper county clerk. In addition to registering voters, a process that must be done in-person in Arkansas, Hollingsworth says the event will also provide another service.
“We also let them know that March 3, there is an election coming up. So even if they’re just getting registered now, they can vote in the November election. But we still let them know, to tell their family and friends that early voting starts next Tuesday for the March 3 election,” Hollingsworth said. She says these events are important to not only get people registered, but to motivate them to vote.
“We get those folks engaged and we’re at least planting the seed and thinking about being involved in a civic process and certainly making it of value that they are not only registered to vote, but then making sure that they get out to vote,” Hollingsworth said.
Though the registration deadline to vote in the March 3 election has passed, the deadline for the November election in 2020 is October 5. According to Hollingsworth, this is only one instance of voter outreach the county is doing.
“We’ve got a campaign going for 20 high schools in 2020. So, we’ve been doing that at different high schools. We’ve also been to some job fairs,” Hollingsworth said.
The high school outreach is a new initiative for the clerk’s office and Hollingsworth says at least two of the schools had over 100 people register. She says it’s important to relay the value of civic engagement to young people.
“Teaching them now about why it’s important to be involved in the civic process and important to be a part of your community, it lets them know voting helps us have the representatives we need to be at the state Capitol and in our nation’s Capitol,” Hollingsworth said.
