ROBERT STEINBUCH: March Madness |
If you're like most Arkansans, you envision elections coinciding with crisp November days, yard signs sprouting like weeds, and that iconic if not slightly virtue-signaling "I Voted" sticker. But in the Natural State, the real political fireworks happen in March, not November.
I'm not talking about bracket-busting basketball upsets. I'm referring to our primary and judicial elections, which fly under the radar for far too many voters.
This year, Arkansas holds its primary elections--the contests where the political parties pick their nominees--on March 3, with early voting kicking off on February 16.
Because March isn't "election season" in the American psyche, however, voter turnout is low. That notwithstanding, in many Arkansas districts--especially rural ones--the GOP nominee is basically a shoo-in for the general election. Democrats might not even field a candidate. If they do, the effort is often symbolic.
Out of 135 seats in the Arkansas General Assembly, Republicans hold 82 in the House and 29 in the Senate as of recently. In the safely red districts, the real fight happens intra-party. Win the Republican primary, and November is just a victory lap. So for a state as red as ours, the primary election is often the main event.
Then there are the judicial elections. Unlike federal judges, who........