Safety first

Some folks may not want to risk going into a crowded voting center, especially when a sizable portion of Arkansans still refuse to wear masks. But that doesn’t mean they can’t vote.

One would imagine that voting concerns could be satisfied by mail-in voting, especially after the secretary of state told Arkansans that fear of covid-19 was justifiable for requesting an absentee ballot. But then USPS made the news again, and mail sorting machines were stripped away from various precincts, leaving folks wondering if the postal service could reliably get their ballots back to the county clerk.

So if you can’t risk your health voting in person, and you don’t trust USPS to deliver your ballot, what options remain? It turns out folks in Benton and Washington county have a door No. 3 available: They can drive to the courthouse and turn in their ballot without leaving the vehicle.

“Staff from the Benton County Clerk’s Office will be at the county administration building at 215 E. Central Ave. in downtown Bentonville from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to accept absentee ballots. Voters will drive up, park in a parking spot and call (479) 271-1013. An employee will meet them,” the papers say.

As for Washington County: “Washington County voters will have the option to return absentee ballots from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the County Courthouse at 212 N. College Ave. in Fayetteville, said Jennifer Price, executive director of the Washington County Election Commission. The clerk’s office will offer curbside service, and voters won’t have to get out of their vehicles.”

That sounds like a safe compromise. Here’s hoping other county clerks will offer a similar service.