What to Expect When Voting In Benton County

• The voter must state his/her name, address, and date of birth to an election official.
• In a primary election, the voter must state in which party primary he/she wishes to vote.
• In a nonpartisan judicial election held simultaneously with the primary, the voter may wish to only vote the nonpartisan judicial election and must state such.
• The voter is not required to vote in a political party’s preferential primary in order to be able to vote in nonpartisan judicial elections.
• In a primary election, no voter may cast a ballot in more than one (1) party primary election.
• In a primary election, the election official must mark the precinct voter registration list indicating in which political party primary the voter casts his/her ballot, such as “D” for “Democratic” and “R” for “Republican.”
• In a nonpartisan judicial election held simultaneously with the primary, if the voter wishes to only vote the nonpartisan judicial election, the election official must mark the precinct voter registration list, such as “J” for “Judicial only.”
• In a special election held simultaneously with the primary, if the voter wishes to only vote the special election, the election official must mark the precinct voter registration list, such as “S” for “Special only.”
• If a qualified elector votes a separate nonpartisan judicial general election ballot and/or a separate special election ballot at any time during the election process, whether absentee, early, or at the poll on election day, that elector is ineligible to vote a preferential primary election ballot at a later time during the same election process, whether at the polling site on election day or otherwise, and vice versa.
• Any voter who requests the separate nonpartisan judicial only ballot and/or the separate special election only ballot is choosing to vote only in the nonpartisan judicial general election and/or the special election and cannot also vote the preferential primary ballot.
• Any voter wishing to vote in the primary must use the preferential primary ballot to vote for party candidates, nonpartisan judicial candidates and special election issues.
• The voter is requested, for purposes of identification, to provide a current and valid photo identification.
• If a voter is unable to provide this identification, the election official shall proceed by allowing voter to cast a provisional ballot .
• Voters must sign the precinct voter registration list before being permitted to vote in any election.
• If a voter is unable to sign or make his/her mark, the election official must initial and enter the voter’s initials and date of birth on the voter signature line on the precinct voter registration list.
• If a voter received an absentee ballot according to the precinct voter registration list, the election official must still allow the voter to cast a provisional ballot at the poll.
• The election official must initial the back of the ballot and remove the ballot stub and place it in the stub box before giving the ballot to the voter.

All voters must have an accepted form of ID 

• • Arkansas Driver’s License or State Issued ID Card

• • United States passport

• • College ID from an accredited educational institution of the State

• • Military ID

• • State or federal employee badge

• • Concealed carry permit

• • Public Assistance ID card

• Free voter ID card, available from County Clerk’s Office

Fail Safe Voting

• If a voter’s address differs from the precinct voter registration list, the election official must contact the county clerk and the county clerk must verify that the voter’s address is within the precinct.
• If the voter’s new address is within the current voting precinct, the voter must complete a voter registration application form to update county voter registration records.
• College ID from an accredited educational institution of the State
• If the voter’s new address is not within the current voting precinct, the voter must contact the county clerk to determine the proper voting precinct and go to the proper new polling site to vote.
• If the voter’s name differs from the precinct voter registration list, the voter must complete a voter registration application form to update county voter registration records.
• If the voter’s name is not on the precinct voter registration list, the voter must:
  • identify himself/herself by name and date of birth and must be verified by the county clerk as a registered voter within the county
  • give and affirm his/her current address, and the election official must verify with the county clerk that the residence is within the voting precinct
  • complete an updated voter registration application form
  • sign the precinct voter registration list
• If a voter’s name is not on the precinct voter registration list, and the county clerk is unable to verify the voter’s registration, but the voter contends that he or she is a registered voter in the precinct in which he/she desires to vote, and that he or she is eligible to vote:
  • the voter may vote a provisional ballot upon the execution of a written affirmation that the individual is a registered voter in the precinct in which the individual desires to vote and that the individual is eligible to vote in that election
  • the election official shall provide the voter written information instructing the individual on how to determine whether the vote was counted, and if not, why the vote was not counted
  • the election official shall make a list of all voters who cast provisional ballots