Pulaski County elections officials will not allow federal monitors to enter polling sites on election day.
The U.S. The Department of Justice last week announced plans to send election monitors to polling sites across the U.S., including two counties in Arkansas: Washington and Pulaski. Washington Co. officials voted Monday to bar the DOJ’s monitors from polling sites. Pulaski County elections officials voted 2-1 Thursday evening to deny the federal government’s request.
The elections monitors would be dressed in plainclothes but would identify themselves to any voters they interview, according to a statement read at the Thursday meeting. Officials also said the DOJ’s employees would receive two hours of training in order to do their jobs.
The 3-member board heard nearly an hour of public comment from Pulaski County residents, including former and current poll workers, with mixed opinions on allowing the DOJ to observe election day activities.
Little Rock Ward 3 Director Kathy Webb, who is facing a re-election challenge from restaurant worker Lake Smith, urged the commission to deny election monitors access to polling sites on election day.
“Regardless of whether or not they have identifiable clothing, the knowledge that federal monitors will be here will be disruptive, at a minimum. Our own secretary of state said that our elections are the safest in the country. Having federal elections monitors will also intimidate voters.”
Webb is also the executive director of Get Loud Arkansas, an organization seeking to boost Arkansas’ low voter turnout rates. She added: “In a state that has the lowest voter turnout in the county, anything that potentially discourages voter turnout is not the direction we need to go.”
Others, including Martin Fisher, argued for the elections commission to approve the DOJ’s request, saying Pulaski County elections should be celebrated and elections monitors should be welcomed with “open arms”.
“Don’t ban them from coming here,” Fisher told the commission. “If we have such pride in our county and we are so correct in everything we do, let it be a shining light. We could potentially be under a shining light in the nation depending on how this election goes.”
Pulaski County Clerk Terri Hollingsworth also recommended the board deny the request. Hollingsworth said the county had inadequate time to prepare and echoed concerns that granting the request would intimidate voters.
Elections commissioner Steve Harrelson made the motion to deny the DOJ’s request, calling it a “State versus Federal” issue.
“I believe it is our duty, not the federal government’s duty, to monitor our own electoral process. [...] I’ve been involved in politics for over three decades, and I can tell you that one of the things I think we all agree with is that people want smaller government. We don’t want interference from the government on many things, including elections, in my opinion.” Harrelson said, adding he believes the DOJ chose Washington and Pulaski Counties to hinder voter turnout.
“That’s what I don’t want.”
Commission Chairman Raymond Jarvis said while he supports transparency, the testimony from elections and county workers about potential impact to staff and the short notice given by the Justice Department was enough to dissuade him. Jarvis voted to deny the DOJ’s request.
Elections commissioner Marianne Harrington broke with fellow commissioners and voted against the measure. She said denying the DOJ’s request would invite skepticism and give an impression the county has “something to hide.”
“These DOJ folks are not coming to interfere, touch ballots or ..poll workers. They are here to check basic federal compliance. We have great poll workers, and a solid process in Pulaski County,” She said, citing her own experience as a poll worker and a poll watcher.
“I know how things are done in Pulaski County, they are done very well, but let’s lead by example.”
Election day is November 3.
