Issue Position: Increasing civic and voter participation

Issue Position

In 2018, more than half of U.S. eligible voters cast a ballot. According to the Pew Research Center, the 2018 midterm had one of the highest turnout rates in recent history. Arkansas, however, ranked 49th among the states in voter turnout according to the U.S. Elections Project. When you combine registered voters who didn't vote and those who were voter-eligible but not registered, Arkansas had a 41% voting rate. This low voter participation does not bode well for our democracy in Arkansas.

A new law requires Arkansas high school students to pass a Civics Exam before graduating. Since voting is, perhaps, the most potent form of civic participation, we should be sounding the alarm about our low voter turnout. Voting is the most important tool a citizen has to hold elected officials accountable. Therefore, we should be enacting policies that will increase voter participation and expand opportunities for eligible voters to cast a ballot. Here are some of the policies that I support and could work effectively in Arkansas.

Automatic voter registration;
Same Day Registration, particularly during early voting;
Pre-registration of 17-year olds;
Expand the period for early voting;
Strengthen civics education in schools;
Online voter registration
Restoration of rights for formerly incarcerated

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