I got an email from a MySaline reader, asking about where to vote in the primary election, and which ballot to get. I was pretty sure I knew the right answers, but I called to confirm with the County Clerk’s office, so here is the legit info:
The email went thusly:
“I would like to find out where I would need to go to vote in the primary elections.
Also, I would like to know the rules for voting in the primary, if they are open to registered members of any or no party.”
A. Short Answer: Registered voters may vote at ANY Polling Place in Saline County.
The County Clerk’s office has new electronic equipment this year to replace the old paper books that voters would to sign in. They are connected to the County Clerk’s office, so all the Voting Precincts are in there. This means you don’t have to go to a designated polling place. You can just pick one. And because they’re connected, they’ll know if a voter decided to pick more than one and they won’t let you vote twice!
Here are some important things to know about this new technology:
1. The electronic sign-in books (tablets) are not connected to the voting machines.
a. The voting machines are not online, and there is still a paper printout of the voting record, so there is no way to hack into the votes.
b. There will also be no record of who voted for which candidate. There will only which party’s ballot they choose for the Primary Election.
b. There will also be no record of who voted for which candidate. There will only which party’s ballot they choose for the Primary Election.
2. The paper books are still there as a backup for just-in-case. Paper ballots will also still be used for Absentee and Provisional ballots.
County Clerk Doug Curtis explained the new electronic sign-in equipment in-depth to a group in April. Click to see the video: mysaline.com/gop-040518
B. Short Answer: When you vote, you’ll specify if you want a Democratic, Republican or non-partisan ballot.
You may preview the ballots at www.voterview.ar-nova.org/VoterView/AbsenteeBallotSearch.do
Here are some important things to know about choosing a ballot:
1. If you’ve chosen a certain party’s ballot, you’ll only have the option to choose from that particular party’s candidates, the Non-Partisan races, and any issues/referendums up for election.
a. You won’t see Republican-only races on a Democratic ballot and vice-versa.
b. Non-partisan tickets won’t have Republican-only or Democratic-only races on them at all. It will only have Non-Partisan races and issues/referendums.
b. Non-partisan tickets won’t have Republican-only or Democratic-only races on them at all. It will only have Non-Partisan races and issues/referendums.
2. If there’s a Runoff, it matters which ballot you chose for the Primary Election.
a. Those who voted in a particular party in the Primary Election, must stick to that party if they vote in a Runoff.
b. Those who did not vote, or those who voted Non-Partisan in the Primary Election, may choose any party’s ballot in a Runoff.
3. There will not be party tickets in the vote in November, so voters do not have to stick with the same party they voted with in the Primary Election.
For more information on the upcoming elections, visit www.mysaline.com/election-2018