Local candidates file for justice of peace, constable positions

— By BRADLY GILL

News Editor

Nov. 12 marks the deadline for candidate filings in Arkansas.

So far, six individuals have filed to run for Ouachita County Justice of the Peace positions and four have filed to run for county constable slots. Ware Russell (District 1), Erma Brown (District 4), Raymond Furlow (District 5), Addie Moore-Edwards (District 6), James C. Manley (District 8) and Fred Lilly (District 9) have filed to run for JP, which means there are no contested county JP races yet.

Christopher Gill (Bridge Creek Township Constable), Rodney Sorrells (Freeo Township), Michael Pate (Union Township) and Anthony Grumer (Bradly Township) are local candidates for constable.

In Little Rock, 165 candidates or their surrogates filed for state and federal offices; three were based in Union County. Three judges from Union County filed in September, during an early filing period for nonpartisan races.

Primary elections, where voters will select their favorite either Republican or Democratic candidate for each office, will be held on March 3. Nonpartisan judicial races will also be held that day. Arkansas has open primaries, meaning that voters may choose to vote in either the Republican or Democratic primary elections, regardless of their political affiliation.

The general election is scheduled for Nov. 3, 2020. On that date, any contested races, other than the nonpartisan judicial races voters will decide in March, will appear on voters’ ballots.

Voters must be registered at least 30 days before the election they wish to vote in. For the primaries the deadline will be Feb. 4. For the general election, voters must be registered by Oct. 4. Voter registration application forms are available at the Union County Clerk’s Office, the El Dorado Revenue Office/Office of Motor Vehicles (DMV), public libraries, military recruitment offices, disability agencies or through the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office. Forms may be printed from the Sec. of State’s website, sos.arkansas.gov.

According to the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Rep. Sonia Eubanks Barker, R-Smackover, filed for her third term Thursday for House District 7, saying she is running to be “another pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, pro-business, pro-Arkansas vote and voice.”

Barker will face Democrat George Calloway Jr. in the general election. He filed Monday,

Two Democrats have filed for the District 27 seat in the Arkansas State Senate, currently held by Sen. Trent Garner (R-El Dorado), who also filed for reelection yesterday. Garry Smith, of Camden, and Keidra Burrell, of Pine Bluff, will face off in the March primaries, and the winner will face the Republican candidate (most likely Garner, who beat former Sen. Bobby Pierce by almost 10 points in 2016) next November.

The District 12 State Senate race includes Democratic Senator Bruce Maloch and Republican Charles Beckham.State Representative for District 5 incumbent David Fielding, a Democrat, filed Monday for the Arkansas House.

William H. Hansen of Hot Springs (Democrat), Frank Gilbert of Tull (Libertarian) and incumbent Rep. Bruce Westerman of Hot Springs (Republican) have filed for the U.S. House of Representatives’ Fourth District.

El Dorado Times report Caitlan Butler contributed to this article.

Ouachita County Justice of the Peace Filings as of Nov. 8

  • District 1 - Ware Russell
  • District 4- Erma Brown
  • District 5 - Raymond Furlow
  • District 6 - Addie Moore-Edwards
  • District 8 - James C. Manley
  • District 9 - Fred Lilly
  • Ouchita County Constables
  • Bridge Creek Township Constable - Christopher Gill
  • Freeo Township - Rodney Sorrells
  • Union Township - Michael Pate
  • Bradly Township - Anthony Grumer

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