TELL YOUR LEGISLATORS, ESPECIALLY REP. WAYNE LONG AND SEN. KIM HAMMER, TO PASS A “CLEANUP” BILL THAT DOES NOT PENALIZE COUNTIES THAT MIGHT CHOOSE PAPER BALLOTS.
BACKGROUND:
The Association of Arkansas Counties takes one percent of each county’s income, essentially as dues, to fund their operations. AAC is, for lack of a better term, a taxpayer-funded lobbyist for county elected officials. They are behind SB250, and Lindsey Bailey French (one of their lawyers) made that clear in an email we obtained dated February 14th. She lied in testimony before the Senate committee on February 27th, when she said AAC has no position on SB250 (they clearly supported – and pushed – it).
See the February 14th email here: https://8468304.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/8468304/LBF%20214%20email.jpeg
And the AAC public testimony here, which contradicts the private email: https://8468304.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/8468304/AAS%20(LBF)%20no%20position.mov
ACTION:
Let your legislators know that they were hoodwinked on SB250. Insist that they immediately pass a clean-up bill, which both (a) removes the penalty from counties choosing paper ballots and (b) does not require electronic counting.
Rep. Wayne Long: 501-290-0091; wayne.long@arkansashouse.org
Sen. Kim Hammer: 501-840-3841; kim.hammer@senate.ar.gov
Senate committee: https://reopenarkansas.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023-Senate-state-agencies-PDF.pdf
House committee: https://reopenarkansas.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2023-House-state-agencies.pdf