Arkansas’ primary and non-partisan judicial elections are officially underway.

Tuesday was the start of early voting, and an increasing number of Arkansans are casting their ballots well ahead of Election Day.

Here’s what Arkansans said about the issues and candidates on the ballot as they early voted:

Veteran critical of Trump, Hill

Alex Reyes, an Army veteran who served as a medic in the 1970s, expressed broad discontent with President Donald Trump and Arkansas’ Republican delegation to Congress. But the Pulaski County voter said the party he voted for was less important to his vote than the party he voted against.

U.S. Rep. French Hill, the Republican who represents central Arkansas’ 2nd District, “aligns himself with the current administration,” Reyes said.

“And I see job losses. I see costs going up. I don’t agree with the Big, Beautiful Bill, I thought that was terrible,” he said, referring to the tax cut and spending cut legislation Trump signed into law last year. “I see health care costs going up. I see grocery prices going up.”

Reyes said he wants to vote as many Democrats into office as possible.

He was also starkly critical of what he viewed as Trump’s disrespect for U.S. military veterans and his use of the military abroad — especially in Venezuela and with the ongoing military buildup in the Middle East.

Health care costs on top of one voter’s mind

Frank Crae, another Pulaski County voter, expressed a desire for change when asked about what motivated his choices on the ballot. Rising health care costs — specifically, the price of insulin — was top of mind for Crae.

Crae, who described himself as a consistent Democratic voter, said he also didn’t like how Trump had torn down the East Wing of the White House to make room for a ballroom, saying it was destroying history. And he said he didn’t like how the federal government was going into cities for aggressive immigration crackdowns.

“I don’t really think (Trump) helped the people,” he said. “He benefited himself and his goons that’s around him, but he ain’t helped the people.”

Crae said he thought Hill had done “pretty ok” as a congressman. He was less complimentary about Sen. Tom Cotton, who is up for reelection this year.

“Tom Cotton, he’s got a mouth on him, but I don’t think he’s really helped the people here in Arkansas,” Crae said.

Northwest Arkansas voters focused on county judge race

Robert and Sharon McGuire of Winslow generally vote early and decided to cast their ballot Tuesday at the Washington County Courthouse in Fayetteville while they were in town for a doctor’s appointment.

Living in a more rural community, Sharon said the county judge’s race is “really important” to her “because we live in Winslow. You ever seen the roads there?”

Republicans Mark Scalise and Tim Shepard are looking to unseat Washington County Judge Patrick Deakins in the primary election. The winner will face a Democrat Dana Deere in November.

In addition to road improvements, Sharon said she’d like to see less waste in government spending.

New GOP rule prompts party short-term party change for one voter

Payton Hamric generally votes on Election Day, but decided to join fellow Fayetteville attorney Leslie Copeland in voting midday Tuesday because their office is near the Washington County Courthouse.

As attorneys, Copeland said the judicial races were very important to them. Because it can be difficult for candidates to provide much information in these nonpartisan races, she and Hamric suggested voters talk to attorney friends who can provide information about what types of cases the candidates have been involved with to ensure they have the applicable experience for the position they’re seeking.

In the partisan races, Copeland switched her voter registration from Democrat to Republican so she could vote in the Republican primary, the first time she’s done so. The 2026 election cycle marks the first time a new Republican Party of Arkansas rule prohibiting registered Democrats from voting in GOP primary races will be enforced.

“I plan to vote probably Democrat in the fall but I wanted to have a say in our elections, and as an Arkansan Democrat sometimes that’s difficult,” she said. “So this was the best way to make sure that my vote had the most influence even though it may not be my top preference.”

Voters in solidly red Benton County express support for GOP leaders

At the voting center across from the Saline County Courthouse in Benton, some voters expressed support for state and federal leadership in a county where Republicans dominate elected offices.

Charles and Sibel Hufstedler, a married couple from Bryant, said they supported Cotton and Hill over their primary challengers. They said they agree with the longtime congressmen’s “America First” policies.

Bunny Barron, who lives in rural Saline County, said she thinks Cotton is a RINO, or Republican in name only, and she voted for one of his primary challengers because “we need a change.” She declined to say whether she voted for pastor Micah Ashby or state trooper Jeb Little.

Longtime Republican voter votes in Democratic primary for first time

Seventh-generation Saline County resident Laura Stilwell said Tuesday was the first time she voted on a Democratic primary ballot.

The Democratic ballot had very few contested races on it due to the county’s prevalence of Republican officials and candidates, she said.

Stilwell said she has voted in Republican primaries in the past but has never voted for Trump, who was first on the ballot in 2016. She considers herself a moderate, and said the current Republican Party does not represent her.

“Evidently, to be a Republican, you’ve got to be some kind of evangelical Christian to go along with that, and I am absolutely opposed to mixing religion and state [or] federal government,” Stilwell said.

She said she has contacted her representatives in Congress to express frustrations about a range of issues, such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s violence against civilians in Minnesota and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s overhaul of public health policy.

Differing views on ICE

Republican voters from Saline County said they generally support the federal government’s efforts to arrest and deport undocumented immigrants.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement has drawn national outrage and scrutiny over its recent treatment of immigrants and U.S. citizens, including in Minneapolis, where ICE and Border Patrol agents killed two residents in January.

“If you came here illegally, you’re not entitled to be here,” Charles Hufstedler of Bryant said.

His wife, Sibel Hufstedler, said ICE agents have “the right to defend themselves against protesters.”

“I also think there are a lot of people that have crossed our border that are hardworking, honest people that make a living and pay taxes,” Barron said.

Donna Wood of Benton, who usually votes in Democratic primaries, said she “could go on and on” about her disapproval of ICE, including its racial profiling practices and masked agents.

Madison Oden, another Democratic voter, said her thoughts on ICE can be summed up by the Bible story of Jesus speaking to a Samaritan woman.

“I am a Christian, and I think we need to have empathy and love for people,” Oden said.

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