Early voting is available on the third floor of the Washington County Courthouse inside the county clerk’s office between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. through Friday and on Monday, Dec. 8. Photo: Todd Gill, Flyer staff

Voters can expect to find people watching for suspicious activity during Fayetteville’s civil rights special election.

Several readers have reported seeing poll watchers this week during the early voting process inside the Washington County Courthouse.

County officials confirmed that two poll watchers from the group Repeal 119 had registered with the county clerk’s office as of Friday morning.

Dec. 9 special election Voters will decide the fate of Fayetteville’s new Civil Rights Administration ordinance which prohibits business owners and landlords from unjustly firing or evicting someone because of their sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic background, marital status, or veteran status. The ordinance was passed by the Fayetteville City Council in August, but a group called Repeal 119 turned in enough signatures to force a Dec. 9 special election to decide the fate of the new law. » See our election guide

According to the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office, registered poll watchers are allowed to stand close enough to the place where voters check in to vote so as to hear the voter’s name and address. They may challenge any voter they believe is not eligible to vote in the precinct or any voter they think might have already voted in the election.

Poll watchers must stay at least six feet away from any voting machine or booth, and they’re not allowed to speak to any voter or in any way attempt to influence a vote or disrupt the voting process.

If a ballot is challenged, the poll watcher must fill out a Challenged Ballot Form, and the voter must complete a written statement that they are indeed an eligible voter. The voter must then use a provisional ballot which will be separated from the other ballots for verification after the election.

Becky Lewallen, county clerk, said no ballots had been challenged by registered poll watchers as of Friday morning.

Voters are set to decide the fate of Fayetteville’s new Civil Rights Administration ordinance which prohibits business owners and landlords from unjustly firing or evicting someone for being gay or any of several other characteristics.

The ordinance was passed by the Fayetteville City Council on Aug. 20, but the group Repeal 119 turned in enough signatures to put the new law on hold and force a Dec. 9 special election.

Early voting is available at the county clerk’s office on the third floor of the Washington County Courthouse between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. through Friday and on Monday, Dec. 8.

Lewallen said 2,463 people had cast early ballots by 9:30 a.m. Friday.

Election day polls will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 9. Polling site information is available at www.voterview.org.

For more on the special election, see our guide to Understanding the Dec. 9 civil rights special election.