Any presidential election year draws a lot of attention, but with this year’s especially bitter fight between President Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden, mixed with concerns about voting during the pandemic, there are a lot of questions from voters. Ahead of the November election, I hosted the latest edition of Issues That Matter, a periodic series hosted by KUAR, the Central Arkansas Library System and the League of Women Voters. Previous forums have been held in-person at libraries, but given the pandemic, for the first time this one was done virtually.
This forum was focused on ballot questions to be decided by voters. There were initially six questions to be put before voters, but one was knocked off the ballot by the Arkansas Supreme Court just hours before we held the program. Two others were also disqualified. The three proposals left for Arkansas voters to consider are:
- Issue 1: Continues a 0.5 percent sales tax for transportation
- Issue 2: Changes term limits to twelve consecutive years for state legislators with the opportunity to return after a four-year break
- Issue 3: Changes initiative process and legislative referral requirements
Also featured was a member of the Pulaski County Election Commission who spoke about concerns from voters about getting absentee ballots and safety while voting at in-person polling locations.
The Issues That Matter program was streamed live on Facebook on Sept. 17, and we took questions from viewers. The forum was also broadcast on KUAR this past week.
Director of Public Affairs at Arkansas PBS, 35-year broadcasting veteran, photographer, interested in radio, TV and railroad history, author and host of the book and podcast series Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
