An outspoken advocate for hand-counted paper ballots has been charged with a misdemeanor.
Ret. Col. Conrad Reynolds believes hand-counting ballots is safer than using machines. He’s organized to pass county initiatives, mandating votes be counted by hand. In 2024, Independence County in Northeast Arkansas, passed a hand-counting mandate. Reynolds petitioned to put the issue up for voters.
Reynolds’ arrest stems from his behavior at a polling site in Independence County during last November's general election. He stood outside the Batesville Community Center, a designated polling site, with an associate named Dustin Black.
An election worker heard several complaints about Reynolds and Black bothering voters. The warrant says they “were asking voters questions,” and conducting an “exit poll” as close as 29 feet to the building.
If the claims are true, Reynolds broke state law banning “electioneering.” This is when someone tries to solicit votes or talk about an issue within 100 feet of a polling place. Reynolds, at about 29 feet, was well within the illegal threshold.
The warrant does not say he was advocating for the paper ballot provision specifically, but Reynolds confirmed it on social media. The warrant says Black was wearing garb supporting the proposal. This includes a lanyard with the words: “OFFICIAL PAPER BALLOTS!”
Most of the allegations in the warrant were made by Cathy Drew, an election coordinator who recorded Reynolds on video and disseminated the voter complaints.
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin announced the warrants against Black and Reynolds in a statement Thursday.
"This case, and the misdemeanor warrants we obtained, are about one thing: following the law. The subjects of our investigation were treated no differently than any subject of other investigations we have conducted.”
The hand-counting debate
Reynolds has spent years asking counties to ditch voting machines in favor of counting votes by hand. The idea is gaining steam in some conservative groups in Arkansas.
It's the “gold standard in voting” he told Little Rock Public Radio back in November.
“I believe 100% that we have no way of knowing, the way our current system is, whether our vote counted or not.”
Reynolds is skeptical of ES&S, the manufacturer of voting machines used in Arkansas. He thinks they could be "flipping" votes in the machine. He thinks this could be targeted at certain groups specifically: elderly people, or Republicans who vote for moderate conservative candidates.
He claims to have “hundreds” of affidavits from voters who swear their vote switched in the machine. Though, last year, he ignored requests from Little Rock Public Radio to look at the affidavits.
Hand-counting is widely panned by election experts. The process is lengthy, expensive and rarely more accurate. Election machines in Arkansas undergo rigorous testing and oversight. There is no evidence the machines could be flipping or altering votes.
Searcy County switched to hand-counting in 2022. They were later the only county who failed an election audit. A team of workers were using tally sheets to add up votes and a few ballots disappeared in the shuffle.
“Everyone wants them to fail,” Reynolds said of the Searcy County audit. He claims the issues could be remedied for the next election.
After his warrant was announced, Reynolds reposted an article from a news site in Northeast Arkansas.
The article says he “remains resolute.”
He plans to turn himself in next week. And on a Facebook group called “RINO Removers,” he invited followers to join him.
“I am being booked Wednesday 9am at the Independence county courthouse/Jail parking lot,” he said. “I would love to see you there.”
