By Janice McIntyre

City Editor

EL DORADO – The deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 8 General Election is Monday – 30 days prior to the General Election – according to the Arkansas Secretary of State Office. Since the actual deadline falls on a weekend, when the designated filing office is closed, the actual deadline this year will be Monday.

Local residents can register to vote in the Union County Clerk of Court office on the first floor of the Union County Courthouse in downtown El Dorado or they can download and print the Arkansas voter registration form, request a voter registration application online, or call the Arkansas Secretary of State, Elections Division, at 1-800-482-1127 to request a form be mailed and then mail the form to the county clerk, according to the website.

Residents can also register by acquiring a paper form at the State Revenue Office and request that information be transmitted electronically. Forms can also be picked up at any public library, public assistance agency, disability agency, military recruitment office or Arkansas National Guard office, according to the Secretary of State website.

To register to vote in Arkansas, a voter must be a U.S. citizen, an Arkansas resident (residing in Arkansas at least 30 days prior to the election), be age 18 or turn 18 on or before the election, not be a convicted felon whose sentence has not been discharged or pardoned and not be “presently adjudged as mentally incompetent as to your ability to vote by a court of competent jurisdiction.”

Early voting for the Nov. 8 General Election will begin Oct. 24 and will be conducted in Union County in the Clerk’s Office in the courthouse. Early votes can be submitted from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Saturday. Early voting will end at 5 p.m. on the Monday prior to the election, Nov. 7.

Polls will open at 7:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 8.

In addition to casting ballots for the next president of the United States, Union County voters will also vote for U.S. Senate – Frank Gilbert, John Boozman or Conner Eldridge; U.S. Congress, District 4, Kerry Hicks or Rep. Bruce Westerman; State Senate, District 27, Sen. Bobby Pierce or Trent Garner; State Representative District 7, Glenn Glover, Sonia Baker or Floyd M. Thomas Jr.; Court of Appeals Associate Judge (District 5), James McMenis or Mark Klappenbach and State District Court, District 35, John D. Lightfoot or Jack Barker.

Union County voters residing in Districts 3, 5 and 8 will select Union County Quorum Court justices, including District 3 – Greg Harrison or Mike Makepeace; District 5 – Carolyn Jones or James E. Thomas and District 8 – J. Dayne Ibert or William Crowder.

El Dorado residents in Ward 1, will choose either Mike Rice or Joffre Long for Position 1 alderman. In Huttig, voters will choose either John Osgood or Van Page for alderman, Ward 3, Position 2 and in Strong, voters residing in Ward 2, will select the Position 2 alderman, Ivy Daniels or Charles L. Perry.

Seven state ballot issues will also appear on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Issue No. 1 is an amendment to the constitution proposing the terms, election and eligibility of elected officials and Issue No. 2 is a constitutional amendment to allow the governor to retain his or her powers and duties when absent from the state. Issue No. 3 is an amendment to the state constitution concerning job creation, job expansion and economic development and Issue No. 4 is an amendment to limit attorney contingency fees and non-economic damages in medical lawsuits. Issue No. 5 is an amendment that would allow three casinos to operate in Arkansas – one each in Boone County, Miller County and Washington County.

Issue No. 6 is the Arkansas Medical Marijuana Amendment of 2016 and Issue No. 7 is the Arkansas Medical Cannabis Act. Issues 6 and 7 would legalize the medical use of marijuana, or cannabis, and charge the Arkansas Department of Health with implementing the program. Both measures would also acknowledge that marijuana use, possession or distribution for any other purpose would remain illegal under federal law.

A voter guide regarding the ballot issues is available at the Union County Extension Service Office, 307 American Road, El Dorado.