A Republican evangelist who wants to represent the state's 4th Congressional District was added to Arkansas' voter rolls Thursday, four weeks after he opened his campaign.
The Rev. Randall Duane "Randy" Caldwell filled out a voter registration Thursday in Hot Springs, according to Garland County Chief Deputy Clerk Leslie Kauffman.
The registration will be backdated to last month, officials said.
Caldwell had tried to switch his voter registration from Texas to Arkansas while obtaining a driver's license in Pope County, but a clerical error prevented him from doing so, the secretary of state's office said Thursday.
Officials in the Driver Services Division of the state Department of Finance and Administration issued an Arkansas driver's license to Caldwell on Feb. 16, six days before he paid the $15,000 filing fee to run for Congress.
They also helped him complete Arkansas' voter-registration paperwork.
"However, the [Driver Services Division] failed to include his county of residence and the registration was therefore never electronically submitted and did not make its way to Garland County," said Chris Powell, a spokesman for Secretary of State Mark Martin.
The problem was resolved Thursday.
In an Affidavit of Eligibility dated Feb. 22, Caldwell had stated "on oath" that he was "a resident and qualified voter of Garland County."
County officials and the secretary of state's office had said Tuesday that Caldwell wasn't on the voter rolls.
After learning about Caldwell's voting status, officials with the Republican Party of Arkansas referred the matter to their legal counsel, according to spokesman Stephen Houserman. The matter remains under review, he said Thursday.
A campaign spokesman, the Rev. Steve McCuin, said Caldwell had a good-faith belief when he filled out the paperwork that he was a qualified voter in Hot Springs Village.
Caldwell wants to know how the mistake was made and determine how widespread the problem is, McCuin said.
"Everybody's passing the buck," he said Thursday. "At this point we just want to get to the bottom of what's going on."
The paperwork provided to Caldwell on Feb. 16 warned him that the voter-registration process isn't foolproof: "If you chose electronic voter registration application today please remember that the revenue office does not register voters, but only forwards registration applications to your county clerk. If you have not received approval of your registration within 2 weeks, call your local county clerk immediately. Voter registration is important." Part of that passage is in all capital letters.
The deadline to register to vote in the May 22 Arkansas Republican primary is April 23. Caldwell is challenging two-term U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman of Hot Springs.
Caldwell met with officials in the secretary of state's office Thursday to discuss the situation, McCuin said.
"He is a little bit frustrated with the system. If this could happen to a man trying to run for Congress ... it could happen to any voter. That's what we're concerned about at this point," McCuin added.
A native of Arkansas, Caldwell was once registered to vote in Lonoke County. But he moved more than a decade ago to Texas, setting up his ministry in a fast-growing community roughly 25 miles south of Houston.
Randy Caldwell Ministries Inc. continues to own a home, valued at $403,000 in League City, Texas; one of the candidate's family members resides in the tax-exempt dwelling, McCuin said.
Formerly a minister with the Assemblies of God, Caldwell left the Pentecostal denomination in 2003. He now preaches across the country and frequently appears on Christian television broadcasts. Westerman is a Southern Baptist Sunday School teacher and deacon at Walnut Valley Baptist Church in Hot Springs Village.
Caldwell, who is relinquishing his Texas voting rights, describes himself as "a preacher, not a politician."
Since entering the race, Caldwell has portrayed himself as a divinely inspired candidate who will help deliver revival to Capitol Hill.
Preaching in Kentucky last month, he told the audience he is acting "under the direction of God."
As the ushers prepared to collect an offering to benefit his ministry, Caldwell said: "Let me say, first time for the public, 'The Holy Ghost is coming to Washington, D.C., like never before because I'm going to pray it down.'"
In the sermon, which is posted online, Caldwell said his candidacy faces fierce opposition.
"Please pray. Death threats have already started coming in," he said. "It doesn't matter. You cannot stop what God has got planned."
A spokesman for the Westerman campaign Thursday declined to comment.
Metro on 03/23/2018