Current through Register Vol. 49, No. 9, September, 2024
Scope of Rules
These rules will set forth the procedures for training members of
the county boards of election commissioners in the 75 counties in the State.
These rules are in addition to and not a substitute for the laws of the State
of Arkansas.
§700
Definitions
(a) County Board of
Election Commissioners - the three-member board in each of the 75 counties in
this State consisting of local election officials responsible for conducting
all elections within their respective county, including one (1) member selected
by the county committee of the majority party (generally the county committee
chair), one (1) member selected by the county committee of the minority party
(generally the county committee chair), and a third member selected by the
county committee of the majority party at the same time as the election of
party officers.1
(b)
Election
Official - a person who is a member of the county board of
election commissioners or a person who is a poll worker designated by a county
board of election commissioners to be an election clerk, election judge, or
election sheriff2
(c)
Primary Election
- any election held by a political party in the manner provided by law for the
purpose of selecting nominees of the political party for certification as
candidates for election at any general or special election in this
state.3
§701
Qualifications of a Member
of the County Board of Election Commissioners
The qualifications4 of a member of the
county board of election commissioners as determined by the General
Assembly5 are as follows:
1) Must be a qualified elector of this
state;
2) Must be able to read and
write the English language;
3) Must
be a resident of the county in which he or she serves at the time of his or her
appointment or election;
4) Must
not have been found guilty or pled guilty or nolo contendere to the violation
of any election law of this state;
5) Must not be a paid employee of any
political party;
6) Must not be a
paid employee of any person running for any office on the county' s
ballot;
7) Must not participate in
any campaign for persons listed on the county's ballot, except for making
financial contributions;
8) Must
not be employed with a company that has any business dealings, contracts, or
pending contracts with the county board of election commissioners at the time
of his or her appointment to the county board;
9) Must not be a candidate for any office to
be filled at an election while serving on the county board, except for
appearing on the ballot as a candidate for a position in his or her political
party; and
10) Must not be married
to or related within the second degree of consanguinity to any candidate
running for office in the current election if objection to the service is made
to the county board of election commissioners within ten (10) calendar days
after the posting of the list of election officials.
§702
Required Training
Each member of the county boards of election commissioners
shall:
1) Attend election training
conducted by the State Board of Election Commissioners prior to a regularly
scheduled preferential primary election;6
and
2) Attend additional interim
training, if deemed necessary and appropriate by the State Board.
§703
Certification and
Compensation
Upon completion of training conducted by the State Board of
Election Commissioners:
1)
Certification, valid for a period of two (2) years, shall be issued by the
State Board to each county election commissioner who successfully completes the
training program.
2) Each county
election commissioner attending the training is eligible to receive $100, plus
mileage reimbursement at the rate established for state employees by state
travel regulations;7 and
3) Election commissioner training
compensation will be paid by the State Board to the County Treasurer upon
receipt from the county of the reporting form approved and provided by the
State Board to the county for that purpose.
Attendance by county election coordinators is optional, and
compensation for attending training will not be provided by the State
Board.
§704
Noncompliance
The State Board may withhold funding for county election
commissioner training attendance from any county that fails to comply with the
rules and guidelines developed by the State Board for the administration of
election commissioner training, until all requirements are met to the
satisfaction of the State Board.8
§705
Training Materials
The State Board of Election Commissioners will provide training
materials to each county election commissioner attending training.
1A.C.A. §
7-4-102(a)
2A.C.A. §
7-1-101(10),
as amended by Acts 659, 959, and 1480 of 2009
3A.C.A. §
7-1-101(24),
as amended by Acts 659, 959, and 1480 of 2009
4A.C.A. §
7-4-109
5Art 3, §
10 of the Arkansas Constitution,
as amended by Amendment 85
6A.C.A. §
7-4-109(e)(1)
7 A.C.A. §
7-4-109(e)(2)
8 A.C.A. §
7-7-201(b)(3)
