LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The primary election in Arkansas is set for Tuesday, but issues not on the ballot will be on full display outside many polling places.
It all stems from Russellville and Pope County, where arguments over a proposed casino are heating up.
"In 2018, the people voted to allow four casinos in the state," David Couch, co-chair of the Arkansas Tourism Alliance, said.
While there's two sides to every coin, those conversations in Pope County are more like two sides to the same poker chip.
"Allowing the state to vote to remove Pope County from the constitution as an authorized site for a casino location," Anna Stiritz with Fair Play for Arkansas said.
While it's not even on the primary ballot – or any ballot – it's already a major topic in Pope County.
Advertisements from the Arkansas Tourism Alliance are already airing, encouraging people to not sign that petition.
Couch said Arkansans voted on this once before. So why do it again?
"So it's a little bit of sour grapes," he said. "They're kind of mad that they didn't get it."
On the flip side, Stiritz said the casino would bring more negatives than positives. She said money from the casino wouldn't stay in Pope County, but would instead be siphoned out to Oklahoma where the owners of the casino, Cherokee Nation Businesses, live.
"There's been multiple opportunities where voters who have been able to go to the polls in Pope County, have consistently expressed that they don't want a casino here," she said.
Couch disagreed, saying that money will stay in the county. He also said they've got data to back up that the casino is supported in the county.
"You know, did you vote for it in 2018, do you support it now?" Couch said. "And so the overwhelming majority of people have support the casino now."
That data, conducted by a research company that the Arkansas Tourism Alliance contracted, showed that 54% of voters in Pope County support this.
Ask Stiritz though, and it's a different story.
"Look and see what voters have said with their votes, not what they're saying on Facebook, not what they're saying to people who call them or text them on their cell phone and say, 'Hey, wanna casino? Yes or no?'" Stiritz said.
Even though this isn't even on the ballot yet, you can expect to see people out asking at the polls Tuesday – from both sides.
"So I think it's important that, you know, people hear from both sides," Couch said. "And I think that it's really important that you hear from accurate information."
Fair Play for Arkansas is required to submit close to 90,000 signatures to get this on the ballot.