Citizen groups host Union County clerk
STRONG — The Strong Community Leadership Alliance, Concerned Citizens of Huttig and the Arkansas Public Policy Panel thanked Union County Clerk Shannon Phillips for attending a community meeting on Sept. 12.
CCH President Van Page said Phillips was informative, passionate about her work and eager to educate community members about the election process in Union County.
“It’s very important to understand the voting process,” Page said. “Knowledge is power and if you know what your rights are, then you go in with a much different attitude.”
Phillips told attendees each and every vote matters and offered advice on how to avoid problems on election day.
“Verify your voter registration early because that is the key to getting to vote where you are supposed to and on time,” Phillips said. “(Voting) is important to make sure that the people you vote on are actually
doing what they’re elected to do and making appropriate decisions on behalf of their constituents.”
She added that any voter who has questions, or aren’t sure about their voting status, should contact her office as soon as possible. Phillips also suggested early voting, because it gives voters and election staff more time to update files or address concerns.
Other issues discussed include voting is underway for the School Board Election held Tuesday and the General Election set for Nov. 8.
For the General Election, the deadline to register to vote is Oct. 10 and early voting will be from Oct. 24 - Nov. 7. Early voting is available at the county clerk’s office Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The office will close at 5 p.m. on Nov. 7.
Polling sites will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on election day. Voters are allowed to cast a ballot if they are standing in line when the polls close.
The Arkansas Secretary of State’s office recently sent every Arkansas county a batch of flawed data that incorrectly flagged thousands of voters to be removed from the registration lists, Phillips said. Union County was sent 50 names to be removed, but thanks to the due diligence of the county clerk and staff, no name was removed from the files.
“My clerks were a little bit in question of some of the names that were on the list and some information that they saw as odd,” Phillips said. “It didn’t make sense to them, so they held back and thank goodness that they did because it gave us a little bit of time to find out there was a problem.”
On Oct. 15, 2014 the Arkansas Supreme Court unanimously declared the Voter ID Law unconstitutional. Poll workers are still required to ask voters for identification but voters who do not have or choose not to show ID will be allowed to cast a regular ballot.
A convicted felon can vote in Arkansas if they are not currently incarcerated or on probation or parole. To restore the right to vote, the voter must take proof of their discharge papers and proof that all fees have been paid to the Union County Clerk’s office.
SCLA President Edwina Howard said, “Please vote and let your voice be heard. School boards, city council, quorum courts and state and national legislators are changing laws that affects our daily lives. Your vote is to help choose the legislative candidates who will be making these decisions on your behalf.”