Ahead of some municipal elections next Tuesday, the University of Arkansas' "Arkansas Poll" shows voters are most concerned about the economy, education, politics and politicians.

The poll was conducted through telephone interviews with more than 800 randomly selected adult Arkansans. Political science professor Janine Parry, who directs the poll from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, said this 25th year of polling facilitates conversation between voters and politicians more frequently than elections typically allow. She pointed out that it shows many Arkansans are still worried about their financial wellbeing.

"You know, people say, 'Paying the bills.' They might also say inflation, or wages or poverty - there's just a whole litany of things that all kind of fall into the category of people having a hard time of making ends meet," she said, "and that's typically the major issue."

Parry said other poll questions addressed life in Arkansas - whether the state's going in the "right" or "wrong" direction, plus approval ratings for public figures, level of satisfaction with public services, and other current issues.

In the poll, just 39% of Arkansans indicated they're not fans of first-year Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, but roughly 48% said they like her. Parry said it's crucial to remember that each year, despite the divisiveness among political officials, people's views often show considerable overlap.

"All this negative polarization suggests people are much more mixed in their evaluations of services and their wishes about public policy - from abortion and gun regulation, to climate change and whatnot," she said, "so I feel like we can find each other again."

Parry noted that the poll yielded some positive results, with 78% of respondents expressing high satisfaction with police protection and 64% with hospital and medical services in the state.


Support for this reporting was provided by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.


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More than one in five Americans is a woman of color - and a new poll shows they are not feeling heard and want policymakers to address issues they care about. The poll comes from a coalition of civil rights groups called Intersections of our Lives.

Lupe Rodriguez, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice says while motivation across the electorate is lower than in the past - candidates who want to win must pay attention to women of color.

"Women-of-color voters can't be underestimated. Elections are often decided by narrow margins. We should not be seen as low-propensity voters, we need to be seen as high-potential voters, and folks can't afford to take us for granted," she explained.

The poll found nearly nine in ten women of color say voting is extremely or very important. Women's rights and abortion, combined, are top issues for 31% of Black women, 34% of Latinas, and 36% of AAPI women.

Roshni Nedungadi, chief research officer and founding partner of the public opinion research firm HIT Strategies, said women voters of color are highly concerned about economic issues that affect their everyday lives - and not just high grocery prices.

"They're thinking about access to affordable health care, including abortion and birth control. They're thinking about more affordable housing, they're thinking of course about cost of living, job creation, and closing the pay gap," she continued.

The poll also found that 93% of Black women, 84% of AAPI women, 79% of Latinas agree with the statement that racism has gone on too long and that policies to advance racial equity are long overdue.


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The Wisconsin Supreme Court on Monday took up arguments in a highly watched case concerning ballot dropboxes. Supporters of lifting a near-total ban say such a move would help a range of voters across the state.

In 2022, the state's highest court and its then-conservative majority ruled that dropboxes should be limited to election clerks' offices. But with a liberal majority now in place, the court is revisiting the issue. Dropboxes have become popular among voters in a post-pandemic world.

Jenelle Ludwig Krause, who leads the group GrassRoots Organizing Western Wisconsin, said many people benefit from having different places to securely return their absentee ballots.

"Busy farmers who need be on their field when the conditions are dry; it makes it possible for parents that are juggling a million things to cast their ballot; for people with disabilities, for elderly people," she explained.

She added dropboxes aren't just beneficial to certain geographic locations, noting they help voters in both urban and rural areas. Broader debates about this option tend to focus on whether the boxes invite fraud and could be tampered with. But the Bipartisan Policy Center says they're set up by government officials and are often under 24-hour surveillance.

Krause also pointed out that with dropboxes helping voters all around Wisconsin, more people from all kinds of backgrounds would have their say on key issues come election time. She said it's difficult to enact change when a person is weighed down by restrictive voting policies.

"There are special interest groups in Wisconsin that have worked really, really hard to make it hard for regular people in Wisconsin to vote. You know, they want to protect the status quo," she said.

Conservative justices, along with those representing the Republican-led Legislature, were critical of arguments to overturn the 2022 opinion. However, liberal justices appeared receptive to the belief that the original ruling was flawed. Election analysts say the outcome could have a significant impact on the 2024 presidential race, with Wisconsin again forecast as a battleground state.


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Voting-rights advocates continue their push to restore these rights for formerly incarcerated Mississippians after lawmakers failed to act.

House Bill 1609, which died in the state Senate last week, would have automatically reinstated voting rights for people who complete their sentences and remain felony-free for five years.

Nsombi Lambright-Haynes, executive director of One Voice, said nearly 60 voting-rights bills were introduced during the legislative session, but fewer than 10 survived.

"Those eight that have passed the Senate now go to the governor's desk," he said, "and he can sign them or not sign them and they become law, and those people have their voting rights back. Or he can choose to veto those."

One in ten Mississippians does not have a voice at the ballot box because of a prior felony conviction.

Lambright-Haynes said the campaign is also working to overturn a 134-year-old Mississippi lifetime voting ban law that prevents people convicted of certain crimes from casting a ballot.

It is a difficult process to get voting rights restored in Mississippi, Lambright-Haynes said. Formerly incarcerated persons must hire an attorney to have their record expunged, and then get a pardon from the governor - or they can seek help from state lawmakers.

"You can get your representatives to introduce a bill on your behalf," he said, "and that bill is introduced in whatever house that representative is a part of, either the House or the Senate, and it's voted on."

State Rep. Otis Anthony, D-Indianola, said the folks re-entering society should be granted the right to fully participate in all aspects of life.

"These are human beings who have families," he said. "These are people who have been convicted, they've been incarcerated, they've paid their debt to society. And yet, we're not allowing them to be fully restored. Let's not take the human side out of the equation."

The bill would need two-thirds approval of the House and Senate. The Fifth Circuit Court heard arguments in a lawsuit challenging the lifetime voting ban in January, but has not yet ruled in the case.


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