Email delivers some contrasting messages from candidates for governor.

Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the Republican, continues to nourish a national constituency, joining Mike Pence and Ben Carson next week at a conservative Christian college in Missouri for a session on “patriotic education” (as opposed presumably to that socialist stuff the libs are pushing on Arkansas students. Had your CRT today, children?)

Sanders did begin a round of RSVP-required Arkansas appearances yesterday with a boat parade on Lake Ouachita (haven’t run down any coverage of that as yet). She’ll be passing out free barbecue in Benton today with her pop.

Chris Jones, a Democratic candidate for governor, is more focused on local issues.

He’s building an e-mail list with this appeal:

The Pulaski County Election Commission is trying to change the county’s voting process — including giving the Board of Election Commissioners the sole power to hire the Election Coordinator and restricting the ability of staff to talk to the media.

Max, these changes are designed to make sure Republicans control the county election processes.

There’s a reason we’re seeing these changes to the election processes now. Pulaski County leans Democratic with Hillary Clinton receiving 56 percent of the popular vote in 2016 and it’s also one of the most diverse counties in Arkansas.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: your ability to vote shouldn’t depend on whether you put an ‘R’ or a ‘D’ on your registration. hat’s why I’m starting a petition to reject these changes to the Pulaski County election processes and demand the protection of our voting rights. Will you sign on?

Jones touches on a real issue. Though Trump won Arkansas handily, Republicans in the Arkansas legislature still enlisted in the national campaign to make voting harder and to ensure partisan control of the election machinery.

If there’s to be any hope for Democratic gains in Arkansas in 2022, more people must register to vote and then cast ballots. Arkansas has a long way to go. And Republicans aim is to continue to reduce our poor showing in both measures.

Retired senior editor of the Arkansas Times.