Arkansas Republicans vote to hold closed primaries, critics voice concerns on rollout

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Leaders with the Arkansas Republican Party are telling voters they will need to officially pick a side before the next time there is a GOP primary.

During the party convention over the weekend, Arkansas Republicans voted to pass a rule change that will require anyone casting a ballot in a party primary to be a registered Republican.

Jennifer Lancaster, the new chair of the party state convention, said the intent of the move is the keep Democrats or other outside votes from casting a primary ballot for the “least conservative” candidates.

Lancaster also noted that other states that have made this kind of move, like Florida, have seen benefits that appeal to more conservative voters by moving to closed primaries.

“For those people who look to Florida and like what a lot of their politicians like Matt Gaetz and DeSantis do, if conservative voters are wanting to be more like that, I think it’s important they understand why it’s so critical we have closed primaries,” she said.

While the move to limit primaries to only registered Republicans has strong support in the party, some members have voiced concerns on the rollout of the move.

State Sen. Justin Boyd (Rep. – Ft. Smith) said that while he agrees with the concept of the closed primary in principal, he wants to make sure that voters who have chosen the GOP for years are not turned away at the ballot box over new paperwork.

“What I don’t want to happen is have a 90-year-old woman in Fort Smith, who’s been voting in the Republican primary since before it was cool to vote in the Republican primaries, who’s disenfranchised because she didn’t know to update her registration,” Boyd told KARK 4 News.

Figures from the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office show that Republican party officials may have a big job ahead of them.

Records show that while more than 266,000 voters casts ballots in the GOP presidential primary this spring, there are only around 132,000 voters registered as Republican.

Those looking to check their voter registration can do so online .

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KARK.