Fact Sheet Available for Upcoming Independence County Election on Using Paper Ballots and Counting Votes by Hand

by Kristin Higgins - October 14, 2024

Voters in Independence County will have a local ballot measure to decide when they vote in the November general election unless the Arkansas Supreme Court decides otherwise.

The Public Policy Center at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture partnered with the Independence County Extension Office to produce a fact sheet explaining the countywide ballot issue. 

Voters are being asked to approve a citizen-initiated ballot measure that would create a county ordinance known as the "Independence County Election Integrity Restoration and Preservation Ordinance."

Download the fact sheet at: https://www.uaex.uada.edu/business-communities/voter-education/docs/independence-county-ballot-issue-2024.pdf 

The ordinance, or county law, would:

• Require all elections in Independence County to be conducted with secure paper ballots containing inherent security features. Voters would make their selections by hand using permanent ink (pens on paper).
• Require election workers to count votes by hand and verify votes using human intelligence. Certified election results would be solely based on these counts.
• Allow voters with disabilities to continue to use a voting machine if they choose to do so.
• Require the Independence County Quorum Court to budget money to pay for enacting the ordinance.
• Prevent the Quorum Court from passing any laws or rules that hamper, restrict or impair the intent of the ordinance without voter approval

How did this issue get on the ballot?
Using the citizen initiative process allowed under state law, Independence County resident Bryan Norris submitted a petition with signatures from registered voters in Independence County to place this proposal on the ballot.

The Independence County Clerk originally determined the petition to be insufficient because the ballot title was misleading. Norris filed a lawsuit in Independence County Circuit Court challenging the clerk’s decision.
Circuit Court Judge Holly Meyer found the ballot title and popular name sufficient and ordered election officials to place this issue on the ballot for voters to decide. (See 32CV-24-271).

The county appealed the circuit court decision and the Arkansas Supreme Court is reviewing the local ballot issue and whether votes cast for or against the proposal will count. (See CV-24-644).

Who can vote on this local ballot issue?
People who live in Independence County and are registered to vote can vote on this local ballot issue. 

What is the status of similar ballot proposals in other counties?
The local ballot issue in Independence County is one of nine similar proposals filed in Arkansas counties across the state, including in Saline, Sharp, Van Buren, Cleburne, Conway, White, Johnson and Perry counties.

Although the county resident who submitted the local ballot proposal differs by county, each were working with a group known as Arkansas Voter Integrity Initiative. County clerks rejected the citizen initiative in all nine counties for a variety of reasons, including the ballot title and that some canvassers were out of state residents. Sponsors appealed and circuit court judges in six counties rejected requests to place the measures on the countywide ballots. The appeal in Johnson County has not been decided. Meanwhile, a similar proposal filed in Cleburne County is expected to be on the ballot in 2026, although that circuit court decision is also being appealed before the Arkansas Supreme Court. (See CV-24-656).

Find More Information
The voter guide produced by the Public Policy Center includes more information about the Independence County ballot issue, including what supporters and opponents say, and answers to voters’ frequently asked questions. Find similar fact sheets for statewide ballot issues at www.uaex.uada.edu/ballot.