Kelli Souter elected Magnolia’s first woman mayor; Doug Fields reelected Columbia County judge

Update, Thu., Nov. 5: Kelli Souter was elected mayor of Magnolia on Tuesday with 1,395 votes, or 57.19%, becoming the first woman to hold the job, magnoliareporter.com reported. James (JJ Streets) Jefferson Jr. had 674 votes and Jeffrey Cheatham 370. County Judge Doug Fields won a second term over Glenn Delaney, 59% to 41%, and Jennifer Burton was elected mayor of Waldo. On the City Council, Tia Wesson kept her Ward 2 seat and Steve Card won Ward 3, giving the council a majority of women for the first time. The Magnolia Banner-News also reported the Souter and Fields wins. Results are unofficial. Our Election Day guide follows.

It’s Election Day in Columbia County. Polls are open today, Tuesday, Nov. 3, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., according to the Arkansas Secretary of State. Voters can go to any of the county’s six vote centers, and the machines will bring up the right ballot for each voter, magnoliareporter.com reported. The Columbia County Annex, where early voting was held, is not an Election Day site.

Where to vote

• Magnolia: American Legion Post No. 2, 325 Legion Drive
• Magnolia: Calvary Baptist Church, 79N Bypass
• Emerson: Emerson Community Center, 202 N. Elm
• McNeil: Bowman/Brasher Building, 451 Gum
• Taylor: Taylor City Hall, 101 W. Pope
• Waldo: Waldo Fire Station, 106 E. Main

Local races

Here are the contested local races, as listed by magnoliareporter.com in ballot order:

• Magnolia mayor: Kelli Souter, Jeffrey Cheatham and James (JJ Streets) Jefferson Jr.
• Magnolia City Council, Ward 2, Position 2: Tia Wesson and Christine Jermany
• Magnolia City Council, Ward 3, Position 2: Florence Nunn Meadors and Steve Card
• Columbia County judge: County Judge Doug Fields, Republican, and Glenn Delaney, independent
• Waldo mayor: Jennifer Burton and Eddie Gooden

The ballot also has U.S. Senate, the 4th Congressional District, governor and other statewide offices, and four statewide issues: Issue 1, the Citizens Only Voting Amendment; Issue 2, on the right to keep and bear arms; Issue 3, on economic development districts; and Issue 4, the Arkansas Water, Waste Disposal and Pollution Abatement Facilities Financing Act of 2025.

Turnout so far

Through Saturday, 3,690 Columbia County voters had cast early ballots, or 31.28% of the 11,795 people eligible to vote, magnoliareporter.com reported. In the 2022 midterm, 3,889 people voted early. Monday’s final early vote count had not been reported when this story was written.

You can check your registration and see a sample ballot through the Secretary of State. Storms are expected today, so check our weather story before you head out. We’ll post results when they’re reported.