Jonesboro, AR – JonesboroRightNow.com – Candidates from both sides of the political aisle gathered Tuesday night for a candidate forum on the Arkansas State University campus.
The forum was student-led and described as bipartisan, “intended to promote civic engagement.” Initially, candidates had two minutes to answer questions from moderators, although that was later changed to 30 seconds per question to allow time for audience questions.
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Seven candidates spoke during the forum. They are listed below alphabetically:
- Josh Alfano, running as a Democrat for State House District 32
- Erika Askeland, running as a Democrat for State House District 32
- Shamal Carter, running as a Democrat for State House District 36
- State House Rep. Jon Milligan (R-District 33)
- Coty Powers, running as a Republican for State House District 30
- Powers is running against Josh Longmire, who was not present.
- State House Rep. Johnny Rye (R-District 36)
- State House Rep. Dwight Tosh (R-District 38)
During the forum, some questions by both the student moderators and audience were directed at all candidates, while some were geared toward one. For example, Tosh was asked questions regarding law enforcement due to his time spent as an Arkansas State Police trooper, while Askeland was asked questions about education due to her being a teacher.
The candidates were asked if they supported voter ID laws after the U.S. House passed legislation requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote, as well as implement national voter ID requirements. Moderators cited candidates running for Arkansas Secretary of State who had raised concerns about federal involvement in state elections.
Tosh was the first to answer, who said he supported such legislation. He said that people running for office, regardless of whether they won or lost, would want to know their election was fair.
“That is one of the most precious things that we still have in this country, and that is the right to vote,” he said. “We should protect that, and the integrity of that at all costs, and voter ID is the right thing to do.”
Powers echoed Tosh’s response, saying people who “do not share our American values” concerned him, and that people should have ID showing they are U.S. citizens.
Alfano, Askeland, and Carter said providing a driver’s license to vote should be enough. Both Askeland and Carter raised concerns about such legislation disenfranchising women, the elderly, and voters of color.
“I see it as a way that potentially leads to making it much more challenging for many people. Obviously, half of the population, one’s in the same gender as myself, who have chosen to take their husband’s last name, which in turn, will then turn into having to obtain and collect all the documentation,” Askeland said. “Any barrier that we as legislators [put up] to people’s voicing their opinions at the polls is something I find disenfranchises way too many people.”
Both Rye and Milligan said elections in Arkansas were strong and secure, and they supported state elections.
During the forum, education was frequently mentioned. Candidates were asked questions about how to combat low ACT scores in Jonesboro school districts, improvements that could be made regarding the transparency of funding in Education Freedom Accounts, and more.
One question, which came from audience member Matt Redmon, who teaches high school at Jonesboro Public Schools, asked how the candidates would provide solutions to combat outside factors such as food insecurity, poverty, and mental health, which can affect a student’s performance.
Tosh spoke about Act 123, which was signed into law in early 2025 and provided free breakfast for all K-12 students.
Askeland said Arkansas was a very food-insecure state and that a student’s early years were “critical,” and added that she was collecting signatures to place universal pre-K on the November ballot. Universal Pre-K (UPK) is a program intended to provide state-funded preschool for 3- to 5-year-olds.
Alfano said addressing the family as a whole would be necessary when coming up with a plan to assist with food insecurity, poverty, and more.
“We have a lot of children in some very bad situations, and a lot of children fall through the cracks,” Powers said.
The full forum can be viewed below.
Early voting will continue until March 2. Election Day is Tuesday, March 3. Registered voters can click here to see a sample ballot.
There are two early voting locations in Craighead County for this election. They are the Election Annex, located at 315 W. Jefferson Ave. in Jonesboro, and the Lake City Courthouse, located at 113 Cobean Blvd. in Lake City.
These early voting centers will be open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Both will close at 5 p.m. on March 2.
On Election Day, March 3, voting will be open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Polling centers across the county can be found here. Registered Craighead County voters can vote at any location.
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