Chris Madison, director of the State Board of Election Commissioners, (left) talks with Secretary of State Cole Jester before a meeting in Little Rock on Jan. 22, 2025. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)
Secretary of State Cole Jester on Thursday called for a “top-to-bottom security review” of Arkansas’ election procedures.
“Elections are the single most critical responsibility we have in this office,” Jester said in a press release announcing his directive. “When elections are safe and secure, the people’s voice is heard. We have a strong legacy to build on, and we will continue to build each and every day.”
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders appointed Jester in December to fill the role left vacant by John Thurston, whom voters elected as state treasurer in November. Jester, 27, was sworn in on Jan. 2.
As part of Jester’s official duties, he serves as the chair of the State Board of Election Commissioners (SBEC), a body that oversees all elections in the state. The six-member board most recently met Wednesday, where Jester chaired his first meeting.
During a discussion Wednesday regarding proposed legislation the board intends to bring forward through a legislator sponsor in the 95th General Assembly, Jester said priority should be given to three of the 11 proposals: a bill to require identification of those who are assisting voters; increased oversight of voters who reside in a nursing home; and re-auditing a county that previously failed to receive 100% accurate results in the next election.
The bills have not yet been filed, though SBEC Director Chris Madison said at the meeting he hoped progress would be made next week. The board made technical changes to some language in the proposals, but voted to allow staff to move forward with their legislative recommendations.
“The State Board staff are excited to support and assist the Secretary’s office in their review of election security procedures,” Madison said in a statement Friday.
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According to Jester’s directive, the chief legal council in his office will review the state voting system’s “strengths, weaknesses and any potential threats, while remaining concise and accessible to our citizens.” He said the review would be completed thoroughly and quickly.
Samantha Boyd, Jester’s spokesperson, said in a statement Friday that the review will focus on four main categories: accurate voter registration, vote counting processes, election challenge procedures and audit policies.
“This review is conducted by the Secretary of State’s office, not the [SBEC],” Boyd said. “However, the final report will be made available to members and can be used to guide any future decisions at its level. The Secretary is proud of the board’s work strengthening elections thus far, and looks forward to his partnership with them over the next two years.”
One election security measure the SBEC already implements involves the selection of 15 random counties to audit after each election; 2024 was the first year the board also audited the results of a primary election, per a law passed in 2023.
Of the 15 counties selected, 14 returned a 100% accurate audit, according to a report from the SBEC. Those with a perfect report all used electronic voting machines, while the one that received an imperfect score did not.
At the time, Searcy County was the only county in Arkansas to hand-count paper ballots.
Boyd said Jester and his chief legal counsel’s position on paper ballots, and any areas to strengthen, “will depend on the findings of the review.”
Human error
The introduction of the paper ballot system in Arkansas has caused disagreements among communities, some of which have been argued in the Capitol.
In June, Laura Gross, chair of the Searcy County election commission, appeared before a legislative committee where she was questioned about the discrepancies in the hand-counted ballots. The Legislature’s Joint Performance Review Committee discussed the primary election audit results for Searcy and Saline counties.
While Gross admitted the hand-counting process was imperfect, she also advocated for its continued use and said voting machines are a “$4,000 electronic pen.”
Local, state officials defend Arkansas election integrity, use of voting machines to count ballots
Saline County Judge Matt Brumley and an SBEC employee Jon Davidson vouched for the integrity of electronic machines in June. Brumley doubled down with his case in August as the state’s Joint City, County and Local Affairs Committee continued the discussion on election integrity.
In October, the SBEC voted to sanction the county that hand-counted ballots because of issues such as inaccurate totals, and for failing to report proper election night results to the secretary of state’s office, post hand-count totals at polling locations and call a public meeting to inform residents that there were issues with nonpartisan and absentee ballots cast.
In November, Gross told the Advocate that officials signed the sanctions so they didn’t have to proceed with a hearing, but they disagreed with the circumstances.
Gross said at the time that the commission “will never make those mistakes again.”
Interviews with local voters in November showed distrust in the election system, whether it be conducted through a paper ballot system or an electronic one.
Despite the continued case made for the security of electronic voting machines, Independence County voters approved a ballot ordinance that supported using paper ballots in future elections.
Led by the Arkansas Voter Integrity Initiative, the ordinance succeeded with 8,309 votes in support and 5,184 votes against it, according to the secretary of state’s office.
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