Chris Madison, director of the State Board of Election Commissioners, leads a meeting in Little Rock on July 15, 2024. (Mary Hennigan/Arkansas Advocate)
The State Board of Election Commissioners on Wednesday voted to sanction election officials in one Arkansas county where several hand-counted ballot mistakes occurred during the primary election.
Commissioners did not explicitly state which county’s board of election commissioners would receive the sanctions; however, only officials in Searcy County hand-counted ballots in March.
The investigation into the county that hand-counted ballots was among six that the SBEC considered at its meeting, all of which were discussed with some confidentiality. Reports remain private until 30 days after county officials accept the sanction, or deny it and prompt a public hearing.
The investigations stem from filed complaints, and the sanctions vary in severity.
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