Benton County Election Commissioners (from left) Greg Day, Melanie Hoskins and Russell Anzalone listen to Benton County Clerk Betsy Harrell during a commission meeting on Nov. 12, 2024 in Rogers. (Antoinette Grajeda/Arkansas Advocate)
Arkansas election officials are still processing ballots ahead of Friday’s deadline to certify the 2024 election.
Some voters had to file provisional ballots last week because of a problem involving registrations completed at state driver’s license offices, but it wasn’t a widespread problem, at least one county official said this week.
When there’s a question about a voter’s eligibility, a provisional ballot allows them the opportunity to vote, and the ballot is then set aside so officials can investigate the issue and resolve it later, Benton County Clerk Betsy Harrell said Tuesday.
Voters who cast a provisional ballot without an ID had until noon Monday to show their ID to election officials, according to the Secretary of State’s office .
The Benton County Election Commission met in Rogers Tuesday afternoon to review absentee and provisional ballots. Of the roughly 1,000 provisional ballots cast and reviewed Tuesday, 107 were accepted, while the remaining ballots were rejected for a variety of reasons, including voters not being registered to vote, being registered to vote in a different county or not presenting a photo ID.