SPRINGDALE -- Early voting in Fayetteville's annual school election began Tuesday, the same day of the election for the city's anti-discrimination ordinance. The special city election drew 14,593 voters to the polls.

The annual school election is this Tuesday. Fayetteville is among eight districts in Benton and Washington counties with contested school board races.

Polls will open at 7:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. Voting in Benton County will be by precinct. In Washington County, voters can cast ballots at any polling site.

The last chance to vote early is from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today. In Benton County, early voting is available at county clerk's offices at 215 E. Central Ave., Suite 217, in Bentonville; 1428 W. Walnut St. in Rogers; and 707 S. Lincoln St. in Siloam Springs. In Washington County, early voting is available at the county clerk's office, 280 N. College Ave. in Fayetteville.

In Benton County, 226 residents had voted early in school elections as of Friday, including 123 voting in a contested race for Zone 5 on the Rogers School Board and 30 for a contested race for Zone 1 on the Bentonville School Board, said Dana Caler, county elections administrator.

In Washington County, 95 residents had voted early in school elections by Friday, including 68 in the contested race for Zone 2 on the Fayetteville School Board, Deputy County Clerk Jamie Reynolds said.

Residents of Zone 2 of the Fayetteville School District are choosing among three candidates: Jeanne Champagne, Phil Jones and Bob Maranto. Incumbent Bryn Bagwell did not run for re-election. If necessary, a runoff election will take place Oct. 6.

Bentonville and Rogers also have contested races.

Eowyn Francis Moore is challenging Rebecca Powers for the Zone 1 seat in Bentonville. More than 7,500 people are eligible to vote.

Paige Sultemeier and Dulce Aguirre are competing for the Zone 5 seat in Rogers, hoping to replace Jerry Carmichael, who decided not to pursue re-election after 16 years on the board. Zone 5 has more 10,700 eligible voters.

The two incumbents up for re-election to the Springdale School Board were the only ones to file as candidates: Mike Luttrell and Danny Dotson. In school districts without contested board races, the annual school election is done by early and absentee voting only.

Voters in Decatur, Gentry, Farmington, Prairie Grove and West Fork also will settle contested races.

Voters also will vote on millages, as required by state law. If no changes are proposed, millages stay the same regardless of whether they pass or fail at the polls. No school districts have proposed changing millages in this month's elections.

Zone 2 of the Fayetteville School District has 12,850 eligible voters, 11,349 of whom were eligible to vote in the city election, said Jennifer Price, Washington County election coordinator.

Last Tuesday, the day Fayetteville voted on its anti-discrimination ordinance, 24 residents of Zone 2 cast early ballots for the three-way School Board race, said Washington County Clerk Becky Lewallen.

The two elections in Fayetteville could not take place on the same day under state law, Price said.

With some exceptions, special elections, such as the vote on the anti-discrimination ordinance, can take place in almost any month, but must be on the second Tuesday of the month, according to state law. State law sets the date for the annual school elections for millages and school board members as the third Tuesday in September.

The overlap in elections in Fayetteville likely would have little effect on voter turnout because the early voting site for the School Board election was different from polling sites used for the city vote, said Janine Parry, a professor of political science at the University of Arkansas.

Frequent elections are a concern for political scientists who often advocate for fewer elections for fewer offices as a way to increase voter participation, Parry said. Voters have the option of participating in an average of four to six elections per year.

"The more elections a country has per year, the lower the average turnout at those elections," Parry said.

School board elections done by zone involve voters from small geographic units, Parry said. Coupled with low turnout, school board races can be decided by a few hundred voters.

Metro on 09/14/2015