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Arkansas committee rejects bid to remove Monday from early voting after witnesses warn of turnout loss
Summary
Senate committee considered SB485 to eliminate Monday early voting; county election officials and voting-rights groups testified that Monday was a high‑turnout day and removing it would reduce access for rural and language‑minority voters. The measure lacked sufficient votes in committee and did not advance.
A Senate committee voted against advancing a measure that would remove Monday from early voting in Arkansas, following a string of public comments warning the change would reduce turnout and disproportionately affect rural and minority voters.
Senator Kim Hammer presented Senate Bill 485, saying the bill would limit early voting to Saturday (and remove the Monday voting day) to give election officials more time for ballot accounting and machine logistics. He told the committee the change had bipartisan history and argued the gap would help ensure processes and absentee ballots are handled before Election Day.
Pulaski County Election Commission senior member Joshua Price, speaking for himself, urged the committee to reject the bill. "We had 8,500 people vote in Pulaski County on that day," he said, adding that Monday was the largest early‑voting day in his county and that statewide turnout on that Monday exceeded 50,000. Price said poll workers preferred serving that day and that removing it would hurt rural voters who must travel farther to the polls.
Representatives of voting‑rights organizations echoed that concern. Miriam Dominguez of Arkansas United said removing Monday would harm immigrant and Hispanic communities that need additional in‑person assistance. Nell Matthews of the League of Women Voters of Arkansas said turnout on Monday appears to be distributed across parties and questioned why the state should reduce opportunities when county clerks had not asked to cut the day. Pamela Whitaker, in League leadership, described implementation complexity and urged the committee to consider the "why" behind the change.
Committee members asked few technical questions during public comment. After closing remarks from Senator Hammer—who reiterated logistical rationales and said he sought to preserve poll‑worker welfare—the committee took a vote. The chair announced, "The bill does not have the votes today," and the measure did not pass out of committee.
The committee record shows a motion to pass was made and seconded before the final tally, but members ultimately signaled insufficient support. With the committee action stalled, proponents may revise the measure or return it later.
The committee moved on to other business, including other election bills and constitutional amendments.
