Commissioners voice opposition to multiple polls for ES school vote

Eureka Springs School Superintendent Wayne Carr

BERRYVILLE -- Members of the Carroll Election Commission made it clear they were opposed to multiple polling sites for a special school election when they met with Wayne Carr, superintendent of Eureka Springs Schools, during a special meeting on Tuesday.

Carr, who had been asked to attend the meeting, said members of a building committee who were promoting passage of a millage increase to pay for a new high school thought additional polling sites would make it easier for people to vote.

"They haven't made a formal request," said Carr, who went on to say the committee would meet again Thursday (yesterday), and if they wanted to proceed with multiple sites, a formal request would be presented to the election commission.

All commissioners stated their objections to the multiple site plan, which call for polling places in both Eureka Springs and Holiday Island, saying it would be confusing.

Commissioner Joe Goforth asked "Who votes where?"

Carr responded, "We'll let you decide."

"We are just an administrative body," Commission Chairman Levi Phillips answered.

"We've had requests from other school districts in the past. It's hard to make an exception," he added. "There are lots of places where people have to drive farther."

Carr argued that voters understood how things work, that citizens were educated, and the intent was to get the information out to the public and make the voting process easy for them, "whatever we need to do," he said.

"Early voting is the way to work an election," Phillips responded. "Early voting is the key." He said voters could cast ballots at both the Eureka Springs and Berryville courthouses during early voting.

Carr said he would let the commission know the outcome of the building committee's decision.

Eureka Springs School District patrons will be asked to approve a 1.98 mil increase on Feb. 9 to pay for a new high school.

According to election commission records, the last time Eureka patrons were asked to approve a millage increase was in September 2003. That's when only four percent of the 5,610 registered district voters turned out to cast ballots.

The 2.45 mil increase passed with 120 voting yes and 84 no.

In other business, Phillips introduced a copy of an ordinance recently passed by the Blue Eye City Council.

It enumerates alderman positions to comply with state election law. Anyone seeking election to council must now indicate which position they are seeking.

It states that the current seat on council held by Ronald Broughman will be Position 1, Donna Baxter's seat will be Position 2, David Murphy's seat will be Position 3, Christine Malott is in the Position 4 slot, and the one vacant post will be Position 5.

The ordinance was signed by Blue Eye Mayor Michelle Murphy and City Recorder Diane Hudson on Oct. 13.

The action follows a recent state mandate that says all council positions must be enumerated. The Oak Grove City Council complied earlier this year -- but there has been no action by city leaders in Beaver, although they have received official notification.