ACLU of Arkansas Statement on Bill to Eliminate Early Voting on Monday Before Election Day, An Option Used By 51,000+ Voters in 2020

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – The ACLU of Arkansas released numbers today showing that at least 51,479 Arkansans voted on the Monday before the 2020 election, an option that would be eliminated under a bill introduced in the Arkansas Legislature. Senate Bill 485, which would eliminate early voting on the Monday before the election, is one of a raft of bills across the country that would restrict access to the ballot.

The following statement is from Holly Dickson, ACLU of Arkansas executive director.

“Early voting is a safe and secure voting option used by hundreds of thousands of Arkansas voters each election year,” said Holly Dickson, ACLU of Arkansas executive director. “Taking away a voting option that Arkansas voters have relied on is a needless and transparent effort to restrict access to the ballot – fueled by lies and conspiracy theories about lawful voters. What some Arkansas politicians seem to have forgotten is that they themselves were elected under our current voting rules, so why are they trying to change the rules of the game now?

“Arkansas has allowed early voting for many years. With advances in technology, we should be making voting more accessible, not moving backward to make it harder for Arkansans to vote. This is especially important given that Arkansas has the lowest voter turnout in the nation. But instead, we’ve seen large cuts to the number of polling places across the state and increased restrictions that serve only to suppress voter participation. We urge Arkansas lawmakers to oppose this harmful rollback of voting access.”

The vote tallies from November 2, 2020 were obtained through a freedom of information request to the Arkansas Secretary of State.

This release is online at: https://www.acluarkansas.org/en/press-releases/aclu-arkansas-statement-bill-eliminate-early-voting-monday-election-day-option-used