Secretary of State Charlie Daniels reminds Arkansans that Monday, October 4th is the deadline to register to vote in the November 2, 2010 General Election and Non-Partisan Judicial Runoff Election.
Arkansans may check the status of their voter registration by visiting www.votenaturally.org, the Secretary of State’s one-stop online election resource portal. Those who are not registered can download an Arkansas voter registration application from the website. Voters who have changed addresses or names since they last registered to vote may use the application to update their information.
The National Association of Secretaries of State declared September 2010 National Voter Registration Month. NASS members established National Voter Registration Month to encourage voter participation and to increase awareness about state voter registration requirements and deadlines. A little over 1.6 million voters are currently registered in Arkansas, which translates to 75% of the voting age population.
“I encourage every eligible Arkansan to register to vote and exercise their constitutional right on Election Day,” Secretary Daniels said. “Take a few moments today to visit our website to find out if you are registered or see if your information needs to be updated.”
To be eligible to vote in Arkansas, an applicant must be a U.S. citizen residing in Arkansas who will be 18 years of age on or before Election Day. Registrants cannot claim the right to vote in another county or state and must also be free of certain restrictions relating to voter competency and felony convictions.
When registering to vote, first time applicants should include a copy of a valid photo I.D., utility bill, paycheck, or government document that shows one’s current name and address information. If no I.D. is provided with the application, voters will be required to show I.D. at the polls or vote a provisional ballot. Election officials will later determine whether that ballot can be counted.
Applications are also available at state revenue and county clerks’ offices, public libraries, and public assistance agencies; by mail through requests to the county clerks’ offices or to Voter Services in the Secretary of State’s office at 1-800-247-3312; or online from the Secretary of State’s website at www.votenaturally.org. A Spanish version of the application is also available.
