Should Arkansas join the group of Southern states already lining up for the grand 'SEC Presidential Primary March 1, 2016?
Depends upon whom you ask on these calm spring days of 2015.
Already, the Arkansas Senate split 20 to 5 with nine members not voting, on amending the state's election laws concerning a separate Presidential Primary.
But Gov. Asa Hutchinson, fresh from the official closure of the 90th General Assembly this past week, is pretty keen on the idea of a March 1, 2016, Presidential Primary.
He may, he hinted a few days ago, call a special session this summer to ram the measure through.
That is just more tax money to be spent on something that could have been done while the 90th General Assembly was in regular session.
Every state leader and various politicos dream about being part of a giant media blitz on the night of March 1. They would love to hear some golden-throated network news anchor proclaim "...and here are the results from Arkansas, and with those numbers, the Southern states have spoken."
Both Democrats and Republicans would hope the state's top vote-getting candidate would carry the SEC Primary.
Already the biggest populated states in the Old South, Texas and Florida, have the March 1 Presidential Primary date set. Coming along fast and furiously to set the same date are: Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee.
Can Arkansas and Mississippi be far behind?
Arkansas is leaning toward the early primary.
Please recall that in 2008 there was a lone Presidential Primary on Feb. 5. More on that 2008 outcome in a moment.
The filing deadlines for these early presidential primaries are later this year. The filing to be on the Presidential Primary in Arkansas on March 1 would be Nov. 2, 2015.
Will Arkansas require the candidates file in person? Not a bad idea to gain some national attention and public relations bump by the candidates.
The 2016 General Election is Nov. 8, 2016. Just a little more than 580 days from this being written.
All this 2016 hype, Republicans know, will aide their crowded field and gain the most attention of the press.
So what would a 2016 early Presidential Primary mean to Arkansas?
For starters: It would cost twice the state tax money to fund two separate elections; one for only president in March; and another election in May for the rest of the ballot candidates.
Local candidates will fear such a double primary will dry up campaign funds.
What about inclement weather? Ice. Snow. Sleet. Storms that routinely wrack the state in January, February and yes, early March.
But it could, primary promoters say, "Put the South on the map again."
Say what?
Others say not participating in such a regional contest would cost Arkansas media thousands of ad dollars and deprive us all from watching, hearing and reading those relentless campaign ads.
Speaking for me and my mailbox, I prefer not to receive my Christmas cards along with direct mailers about Hillary Clinton or Mike Huckabee or Jeb Bush or Rand Paul. I guess I'll give up my TV ad viewing time split between happy Santa Claus jingles and depressing alerts on health care issues.
But back to 2008: in Washington County, Hillary Clinton won the early Presidential Primary voting with 68 percent of Democrats. Mike Huckabee won on the Republican side with 55.32 percent.
Democrats led Washington County voters with 17,525 votes out of the 33,315 cast. The GOP brought some 15,803 voters to the polls.
Sadly only 36 percent of all the registered voters in Washington County voted on Feb. 1, 2008.
And neither Huckabee's nor Clinton's victories lasted until November.
-- Maylon Rice is a former journalist who worked for several northwest Arkansas publications. The opinions expressed are those of the author.
Editorial on 04/29/2015