Early voting for the 2020 presidential general election was robust in its first day on Monday, according to the Pike County Clerk’s office.
Some 368 (216 Murfreesboro, 152 Glenwood) voters of the 5,640 registered voters in the county filled out their ballot on as of early Tuesday morning.
For both Glenwood and Murfreesboro, early voting will be held through Nov. 2, excepting Sundays. Time available will include 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Mondays-Fridays and 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturdays.
On Monday, Nov. 2, Glenwood early voting will close at 2 p.m., while in Murfreesboro it will stay open until 5 p.m.
Early voting will be conducted at the Pike County Clerk’s office in Murfreesboro, while in Glenwood it will be hosted by the Bainum Library and Learning Center.
On election day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, Pike County residents can vote at any of the four vote centers located across the county from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Locations will be as follows:
Murfreesboro
Murfreesboro Municipal Building
Kirby
Bethlehem Baptist Church
Glenwood
Bainum Library and Learning Center
Delight
Carmen Hendrix Building
If one cannot be present to participate in either early voting or on election day, an absentee ballot may be requested from the Pike County Clerk’s office by calling (870) 285-2743.
To view your ballot before heading to the polls, visit www.voterview.org.
For more information, copies of the 2020 Ballot Issues Voter’s Guide is available at the Pike County Clerk’s office, the Post Office or at the Pike County U-A Extension office.
The list of election officials, deputy county clerks and additional deputies for the general election is posted at the Pike County Clerk’s office.
Pike County Clerk Randee Reid noted that Issue 6 has been struck by the courts as unconstitutional. While it will appear on the ballots, the vote will not be counted.
Logic and accuracy test has been completed on the voting machines that will be utilized in the election and has been approved by the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office.
Reid said masks will be encouraged at both early voting and on election day, but would not be a requirement to participate. Personal sanitation supplies will be available at all locations and social distancing will be enforced as much as humanly possible, with six foot location marked off should lines form.
Should a registered voter not wish to chance a public encounter, Reid said she encourages them to call for an absentee ballot. Also, for those who do not wish to vote electronically, it is the only method in which a paper ballot can be obtained.
The deadline for absentee ballots to be returned to the Pike County Clerk’s office will be by the close of business on Nov. 3.
As of last week, 225 absentee ballots had been mailed out, with 135 of them already returned through Monday.
In a change this year due to COVID-19, absentee ballots will be opened, processed and canvassed by the election commission at 2 p.m. on election day, but results of the ballots will not be released until after the polls close at 7:30 p.m.
For further questions on the election or voting, call the Pike County Clerk’s Office at (870) 285-2743.
