NORTH LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Early voting began in seven cities across Arkansas for the Dec. 1 runoff elections, with the race to be the next mayor of North Little Rock becoming heated in the campaign's final days.
Former State Representative Tracy Steele and former Mayor Terry Hartwick made the rounds Tuesday to Laman Library, where lines of early voters at times rivaled similar busy days during the general election.
The Steele campaign says the day started with vandalism on a sign in a volunteer's yard with a racial slur spray-painted on it.
"The personal attacks, the race-baiting and all that, there's no place for that in North Little Rock," said Steele, a Black Democrat in the non-partisan race. "It's been a nasty campaign, and as leaders, we have to make sure that we don't fuel the fire of hate and racism."
"I highly, highly, highly condemn that. There is just no place for in politics," said Hartwick. "I can honestly tell you, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that nobody in this campaign would do that."
Police are investigating and both Steele and Hartwick are not blaming the other. They say it's to be expected as the long election season winds down.
"It's gotten to people who are very volatile about who they're supporting and who they want to see to lead," said Hartwick, who says one of his largest billboards had been carved by a knife and had to be taken down.
The runoff race to replace Mayor Joe Smith involves the largest number of voters in the state. A contest for city clerk in Jonesboro is open to all voters in that city. In all, five counties have runoffs in seven cities affecting potentially 60,000 registered voters.
"This is the political playoffs and it's important that they go back and they support their candidate to make sure their candidate wins," said Pulaski County Clerk Terri Hollingsworth, who has set up another walk-up stand outside the court house for voters to pick up and drop off absentee ballots.
Pulaski County is among many parts of the country that saw huge increases in people voting by mail. If they used that method in the general election, they have to do so again.
That could be a factor in North Little Rock now that the timetable for the race is shorter. It is one of a few dynamics that will have many eyes watching the race in the final days.
"Our city is not about [that vandalism]," Hartwick said. "This city is not about that. We're not what you see on TV."
"We're running a positive campaign because we want to win this office and become a positive leader in a positive city," said Steele.