Super Tuesday updates: What to know about presidential primary, local races in Arkansas
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Voters across 15 states, including Arkansas, are heading to the polls today to cast ballots in the Republican and Democratic presidential primaries — along with many other state and local races for General Assembly, U.S. Congress and county-level contests.
More delegates in the presidential nominating process are at stake today than on any other single day during primary voting. Former President Donald Trump is the clear frontrunner for the Republican nomination, having won all but one primary so far.
On the Democratic side, incumbent President Joe Biden is expected to cruise to the Democratic nomination, having won more than 99% of his party's delegates as of Monday.
Follow along for live updates throughout the day from Arkansas and other Super Tuesday states across the nation. Polls open at 7:30 a.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. CST.
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Womack wins in the 3rd Congressional District
Incumbent U.S. Rep. Steve Womack has defeated state Sen. Clint Penzo in the Republican primary for Arkansas’ 3rd Congressional District seat. With 97% of precincts reporting, Womack led Penzo 54.3% to 45.7%.
Womack will face Democrat Caitlin Draper, who ran unopposed in the primary, in the November general election.
See the full 3rd District results here.
Womack leads in the 3rd Congressional District
Incumbent U.S. Rep. Steve Womack is leading state Sen. Clint Penzo in the Republican primary for the 3rd Congressional District. With 24% of precincts reporting, Womack led 57% to 43%.
Trump wins Arkansas Republican primary
Donald Trump has defeated Nikki Haley in the Republican primary in Arkansas.
Biden wins Arkansas Democratic primary
President Joe Biden was won the Democratic primary in Arkansas.
North Carolina, Oklahoma and Tennessee go for Trump and Biden
Arkansas' polls will be the next to close.
Trump and Biden both win in Virginia. Biden wins in Vermont, Iowa
The next states to close their polls will be Alabama, Maine, Massachusetts, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas, at 8 p.m. EST/7 p.m. CST.
Voting has ended in Massachusetts and Maine
As of 7 p.m. the first two states to close their polls have concluded voting.
Partial results should be reported soon.
Sebastian County reports far fewer voters than expected
Turnout has been very low in Sebastian County today, according to Election Coordinator Meghan Hassler. As of 4 p.m., only 11,791 ballots had been cast. By contrast, there were around 28,500 total in 2020. “I can’t imagine we’re going to reach that by the end of the night,” said Hassler. “It’s kind of sad how low it is.”
The sparse turnout could have been because there were fewer races in the county or a change in the political climate, she said.
Hassler declined to speculate on how many ballots the county might see by the time the polls close but noted that the number of early votes was down 36% from four years ago.
Early voting totals rise as counties continue reporting. In-person voting proceeds smoothly.
As of 3 p.m., the total reported number of early votes in Arkansas was approaching 150,000, according to Chris Powell, a representative for the Secretary of State.
This number will rise, he said, as elections teams across Arkansas’ 75 counties continue to count and record their early votes.
All early and absentee ballots must have been submitted by 7:30 p.m. last night.
As of 4 p.m., Powell said elections were still proceeding smoothly across the state.
Very low turnout, minor 'hiccups' in Pulaski County
Pulaski County Elections Coordinator Amanda Dickens reported that “turnout is extremely low” in her county, the largest in the state by population. As of 2:45 p.m., only 15,618 ballots had been cast, compared to nearly 50,000 total in 2020. She doesn’t expect total turnout to break the low 20,000s by the end of the day.
“I don’t know if people are not excited or if they’re waiting for November,” she said. “It’s quite surprising to me, I’ll be honest.”
Besides “a few little hiccups” there haven’t been any real problems during the elections in Pulaski County so far. A load of blank ballots was mistakenly delivered to the wrong polling place and the first voters to arrive at the site where they were meant to go had to vote electronically. The problem was resolved within around 40 minutes of the polls opening, Dickens said.
A key race to watch
In Arkansas’ 3rd Congressional District, incumbent Steve Womack faces underdog challenger state Sen. Clint Penzo. The 3rd district is in the far northwest of the state, encompassing Fort Smith and Fayetteville
Womack has held his seat since 2010 and sits on the House Appropriations Committee. Penzo is running to Womack’s right and criticized his support for Rep. Steve Scalise as a possible replacement for former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Penzo supported U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan for the position.
Womack was safely reelected in 2022. The backing of Republican establishment leaders and groups, as well as his solid funding, are expected to insulate him from the risk of being displaced as his party’s nominee.
The Republican nominee will run against Democrat Cailin Draper in the November general election.
Secretary of State's office reports no problems
Chris Powell, top spokesperson at the Secretary of State’s office, said that as of 1 p.m. voting was going smoothly across the state with no problems he was aware of.
“I haven’t heard of any issues so far,” he said, adding that the process has been “pretty quiet” from what he can tell.
He said that statewide turnout numbers might be made available as soon as this afternoon. Partial results will be posted to an official reporting site soon after the end of voting.
Which states vote on Super Tuesday?
Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia will all go to the polls to wrap up primary voting for one or both parties today.
Not all states vote in both the Democratic and Republican primaries on March 5. Iowa already voted for Republican presidential nominee while Alaska won’t vote for the Democratic pick until April.
The Democratic Super Tuesday primaries also include the overseas territories of American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands, as well as American citizens living abroad.
Where do I vote in Arkansas?
You can look up your precinct, as well check your registration status and view a sample ballot, at the Arkansas Secretary of State's website. Find out more about the candidates in your district here.
No major voting issues reported
Coming up on the four-hour mark, voting seems to be progressing without any major issues.
Benton County Election Coordinator Kim Dennison reported that as of around 10 a.m., around 3,300 votes had been cast in her county, the second largest in the state by population. “It’s been quiet, uneventful, and I’m thankful for that,” she said. A steady turnout has meant short lines. She expects bigger crowds around lunchtime.
In Woodruff County, the second smallest county by population, Dirk Zwart, an official at the Board of Elections, said that voting has been going “incredibly smoothly.”
Heavy rain in the morning had kept turnout low at first. “It’s good to see the sun peek out,” Zwart said, noting that, by 11 a.m., they had reached around 5% turnout despite the weather. He expects to see as much as 20% by the end of the day.
Check election outcomes as they’re reported in your district and across Arkansas on our results page.
How many delegates are at stake in Arkansas?
Arkansas carries 40 Republican and 31 Democratic delegates who will go to the party conventions this summer and vote to nominate the winner of their state primary as the official candidate to run in November.
Super Tuesday states collectively have 854 of the 1,215 Republican delegates and 1,420 of the 1,968 Democratic delegates needed to win the nomination.
Today's election won't definitively box out any candidate, but any number of losses, especially for the lagging underdog challengers from either party, will make for extremely long odds going forward.
Keep in mind that many presidential candidates who are no longer in the race will still appear on the Arkansas primary ballot. Make sure to do your research before going to the polls.
The average number of Republican delegates for a Super Tuesday state is close to 57. Without the two greatest outliers of Texas and California, however, Arkansas, with its 40 delegates, falls almost squarely on the average.
Polls are open in Arkansas
The polls are now open across Arkansas. Over the next 12 hours, voters across the state will finish casting ballots for their party's presidential nominee.
Partisan races for state House, state Senate and US House are also on the Arkansas primary ballot, along with nonpartisan elections for judicial seats, including on the state Supreme Court. Check what's on the ballot in your district here: Arkansas Secretary of State
Catch up on what's what during Super Tuesday
∎ What is Super Tuesday? A primer on what states are voting today and what's on the ballot in Arkansas' Super Tuesday elections.
∎ Haley notches first win: Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley won Sunday's Republican primary in Washington, D.C., securing 19 delegates. Still, it will be an uphill battle for Haley against Trump.
∎ Track the delegates: As the Republican and Democratic presidential primaries unfold, track the delegates each candidate has won toward securing the nominations.
∎ What comes next? All the dates and deadlines you need to register and vote in Arkansas through the general elections in November.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Super Tuesday updates for Arkansas: Womack wins in 3rd
