By JOAN McCOY
Leader staff writer
Early voting starts next Monday and ends Nov. 1, the day before the election.
Polls will be open at the county courthouses in Lonoke and Searcy, as well as the Pulaski County Regional Building, 501 W. Markham in Little Rock.
Other polling places include the Jacksonville Community Center, Jack Evans Senior Citizens Center in Sherwood and the Cabot city annex.
Voting will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 23.
There was speculation last month that Cabot’s early voting was a thing of the past because of complaints of favoritism from other cities and the difficulty of moving the voting machines in time for Election Day.
Cabot Mayor Eddie Joe Williams, the Republican candidate for State Senate Dist. 28, was among the roomful of candidates and other concerned county residents who asked the election commission to hold early voting in Cabot for all residents of northern Lonoke County.
Now, Williams says he’s trying to make sure everyone knows the service is available.
The mayor has ordered four A-framed signs, about two feet by three feet, that will be positioned to direct voters to the city annex on North First Street where early voting will be held this year.
It is so much more convenient to vote early than to wait, he said.
“We’ve seen lines so long (on Election Day) that people had to wait two hours,” Williams said. “And if it happened to be raining that day, it’s really bad.”
The annex will be open to voters except on Sunday from Oct. 18 through Oct. 29.
On weekdays, the hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. On Saturday, the hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Early voting in the city of Lonoke starts Monday at the Lonoke County Courthouse annex and runs weekdays and Saturdays through Nov. 1, according to Juanita Horn, an election commissioner.
Weekday hours are 8 a.m. through 6 p.m. On Saturdays, early voting will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Early voting will not be held on the Saturday and Monday before Nov. 2, Election Day, to give the election commission the time it needs to move the voting machines to different polling sites.
