Turnout low for museum bond election; unofficial vote at 1,523
Nine provisional ballots counted in Tuesday’s special election authorizing a $2 million bond issue for construction of an exhibition hall at Mid-America Science Museum raised the unofficial vote total to 1,523, a turnout of 6.3 percent.
The Garland County Election Commission’s unofficial results showed the ballot question prevailed by a two-to-one margin, 1,003-520. The commission said 24,235 registered voters in Hot Springs as of election day were eligible to vote.
Six of the provisional ballots were cast in favor of the bond issue, and three against it. Election Commission Chairman Gene Haley said the nine provisional ballots were cast by voters who did not show ID. The state’s voter ID law requires voters to show photo identification or sign a sworn statement attesting to their identities. Haley said all nine provisional voters signed affidavits.
Fifty-two percent of the ballots, or 788, were cast during the five days of early voting at the election commission building, and 689 people voted on election day. The bond issue had a greater rate of support on election day, garnering 67.2 percent, or 463 votes, than during early voting, when support fell to 64.5 percent, or 508 votes.
Absentee ballots broke in favor of the bond issue by a 26-11 margin.
The election commission building, 649A Ouachita Ave., was the busiest election day vote center, with 332 votes cast. Creekside Community Church, 1010 Shady Grove Road, followed with 97, and the Hot Springs Mall, 4501 Central Ave., and Oaklawn First Church of God, 2110 Seventh St., both had 60.
The 13 votes cast at Bates Community Church, 419 McClendon Road, made it the least trafficked vote center.
All nine city vote centers open on election day in the May 22 preferential primaries
and nonpartisan general election were used Tuesday, as were 30 of the county’s electronic ballot-marking devices and nine of its vote-tabulating scanners.
A breakdown of voters by age group was unavailable Wednesday, but Haley said the county’s electronic pollbooks showed Tuesday that turnout continued to skew older.
“There were a handful of people under 24 who voted,” he said. “The people 55 and older are the ones who voted.”
Haley said the commission may convene as early as Friday to certify the results.
Absentee ballots
Thursday is the deadline for the commission to deliver absentee ballots for the Nov. 6 general election to the county clerk’s office for mailing to all qualified applicants, according to the state’s election calendar. Haley said there are 65 different ballot styles.
The clerk’s office is required to mail absentee ballots the following day to active duty members of the Armed Forces and Merchant Marines and their dependents who reside outside the county but are otherwise qualified to vote in county races and to county voters who are residing outside the country temporarily.
Absentee ballot applications have been available since last week. According to the election calendar, applications submitted by mail, fax or electronically must arrive at the clerk’s office by Oct. 30. Completed absentee ballots must arrive at the clerk’s office by 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 6. The deadline for military and overseas voters is Nov. 16.
Oct. 8 is the voter registration deadline, and early voting begins Oct. 22.