Counties see record turnout as early voting opens in Arkansas
Thousands of people waited in long lines to cast ballots across the state on the first day of early voting Monday, with some counties reporting turnouts that shattered single-day records during the presidential elections in 2012 and 2016.
Pulaski County reported a turnout of 8,088 voters just before polls closed at 6 p.m. That number likely increased from last-minute votes cast after polls shuttered. Voters are allowed to cast ballots if they are waiting in line when polling places close.
On the first day of early voting in 2016, Pulaski County recorded 6,541 ballots. Monday's turnout surpassed the county's single-day early-voting record of 7,855 on Nov. 2, 2012, the last day of early voting before Election Day that year.
Absentee ballot requests are also setting records, with election officials across the state attributing the uptick in mail-in ballots directly to the ongoing pandemic and concerns over safety at the polls.
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https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2020/oct/20/counties-see-record-turnout-as-early-voting-opens/?news
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