LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Division in the state republican party played out Thursday as the party’s rules committee repealed some actions taken at the state convention, including the creation of closed primaries.
According to the state party rules, “the final authority in all party matters rest in the republican state convention” which is made up of delegates, but Republican Party of Arkansas Chairman Joseph Wood said that following a complaint filed by a delegate, the party received an advisory opinion on whether, according to party rules, they can adopt certain changes that were not on the original convention agenda.
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An executive meeting Thursday to discuss that opinion resulted in an 18-5 vote, according to Convention Chairwoman Jennifer Lancaster, accepting the opinion that deems actions taken under Lancaster’s leadership “null and void.”
“We were supposed to adopt the rules committees,” Woods said. “They had two votes to change that, and they didn’t. They had to add an agenda that makes it more flexible that was not approved, and they went ahead and did it anyway.”