State to repay election costs for late reports

Counties offer excuses, apologies

— The state Board of Election Commissioners won’t withhold reimbursement for election expenses from any of the 36 counties that filed election reports late.

The board made the decision Wednesday in a room packed with more than 50 people, mostly county election officials, in the 501 Building at 501 Woodlane Drive in Little Rock.

Officials representing some of the 36 counties gave the board a wide variety of excuses. They ranged from county election commissioners going on vacation to the difficulty of gathering information for the reports.

Some officials apologized and said they wouldn’t make the same mistake again.

Two months ago, the board adopted a policy to start withholding reimbursement for late filings from state-funded elections. Board officials said the aim is to get the reports in compliance with state law, not to withhold funds.

The policy gives the board the discretion to grant full reimbursement for counties filing late reports up to 45 days after an election. Counties submitting late reports from 46 days to 75 days after an election “will be eligible for 50 percent of their reimbursement of election expenses for that election,” and those filing reports thereafter “will not be eligible for any reimbursement of election expenses for that election.”

But the board chairman, Charlie Daniels, whois secretary of state, said he doesn’t want to “penalize anyone.”

The board subsequently approved a motion by commissioner Jason Willett of Jonesboro not to withhold reimbursement.

Several members of the audience applauded.

Willett explained that the counties need state-funded election coordinators to help election commissioners and fill out election reports.

“We need help at the Legislature,” said Willett, a former chairman of the state Democratic Party.

In 2007 and 2009, Daniels made unsuccessful bids with legislation for the state to help pick up the tab for election coordinators in each county. The cost has been estimated at as much as $2.5 million a year.

About 28 of the 75 counties have coordinators, according to the secretary of state’s office.

The board’s policy covers state-funded elections, such as preferential primary and primary runoff elections and statewide special elections. It applies to two reports.

The board budgeted $2.2 million to pay expenses for the May 18 preferential primaries and the nonpartisan judicial election and $1.45 million for the June 8 general primaries (called runoffs), according to Susie Stormes, the board’s director.

The policy covers a written ballot-count report that county boards of elections are required by state law to file with the board within 10 days after state and federal elections. The policy also covers a statement of compliance required to be filed by each election commissioner under state law within 15 days after anypreferential primary, general election or statewide special election.

More counties filed their reports by the deadlines than two years ago, said Maggie Smith, an attorney with the board. She said the number of counties filing their ballot count report by the deadline increased to 51 for this May’s primary, compared with 17 for the 2008 primary election, and the number filing the statement of compliance by the deadline increased to 61 this May, compared with 44 for the 2008 primary.

The thirty-six counties that filed at least one late report are Boone, Carroll, Clark, Clay, Cleburne, Columbia, Crittenden, Cross, Dallas, Faulkner, Garland, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Lee, Lincoln, Lonoke, Marion, Miller, Mississippi, Monroe, Newton, Ouachita, Phillips,Randolph, Searcy, Sebastian, Sevier, St. Francis, White, Woodruff and Yell counties, according to a staff report to the board.

The staff had recommended cutting one county’s reimbursement under certain circumstances, according to the report. Citing the board’s policy, the staff recommended a 50 percent reduction in Lonoke County’s approved primary reimbursement if election commissioner Helen Lueck’s signature on the statement of compliance is received no later than Monday with all reimbursement for the primary permanently withheld if received thereafter.

Arkansas, Pages 10 on 07/29/2010

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