Arkansas bills adding restrictions to the voting process go to the governor’s office

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One of the more controversial bills, called the “no bottled water for voters” law by opponents, would ban people from entering a polling station’s perimeter unless they were voting – thus allowing voters in line to give food or water. is a crime in some countries. cases. Another measure would prohibit clerks from sending unsolicited ballots to voters in absence, while imposing strict requirements on matching signatures for mail-in ballots.

Republican government office Asa Hutchinson told CNN on Wednesday that he is reviewing the measures.

A new count by the left-wing Brennan Center for Justice at New York University finds that 361 bills with provisions restricting voting have entered 47 states as of March 24 – as more state legislatures work to restrict access to ballots.

Voting rights activists have said the bills create additional barriers to voting, which will have a disproportionate impact on low-income voters and disabled voters and voters of color.

“What we see in Arkansas is the most dangerous attack on the right to vote since the Jim Crow era,” said Holly Dickson, Arkansas ACLU executive director. These bills not only make it more difficult to vote, they also make it easier for partisan politicians to interfere with local election administrators – something that can have disastrous consequences for democracy. These bills will make it more difficult for all voters – of all. political stripes – to make their voices heard. ”

“We urge Governor Hutchinson to listen to the concerns voiced by Arkansans across the political spectrum and veto these anti-voter laws,” Dickson said.

In Arkansas, there are still additional measures that would limit access to ballots currently passing through both chambers, as well as a handful that would improve access to votes.

Republican State Sen. Kim Hammer, one of the main sponsors of the measures, told CNN on Wednesday that the bills are about ‘protecting the integrity of the vote’ and were not based on the loss of former President Donald Trump in November, which led to unfounded claims. of voter fraud that led to the January 6 Capitol uprising.

“These are taken from real-life examples that have taken place here in the state,” said Hammer, pointing to a controversial state race in November in which an incumbent Democratic lawmaker filed a lawsuit arguing that errors in counting absentee ballots led local officials. until his loss to a freshman Republican lawmaker. Legal challenges to the loss were ultimately dismissed.

Hammer said he expects Hutchinson to pass the bills, noting that the legislature has worked with local election officials in drafting the measures.

“I see no reason why the governor shouldn’t sign them, given the cooperative effort out there to hand over these bills,” he added.

Bills make changes to the absentee and personal voting process

Senate Law 486, which opponents have called “no bottled water for voters,” was passed from the Arkansas House Tuesday afternoon in a vote of 74-23. It prohibits any person from being within 30 meters of a polling station while voting, unless they enter or leave the building for “lawful purposes”, such as voting.

Opponents of the food and water ban say there are similarities to a controversial part of Georgia’s new voting law that makes it a crime for anyone to hand out food and water to polling stations within that perimeter. Hammer, the sponsor of the Arkansas bill, has said it is about preventing election, which is already banned within that 30-foot perimeter.

In addition, the Arkansas Senate on Tuesday passed House Bill 1715 along party lines. The bill would prohibit clerks from sending unsolicited ballots to voters in absence. It would also require clerks to provide the county election commissioners with a daily count of the absence requests received.

HB1715 requires a voter’s signatures on an absentee ballot and application to match the signature of their original application for registration. The bill states that if a voter’s signature on the ballot application does not match the signature of the application for registration, then “the district clerk will not issue the voter with his absentee ballot.” Critics note that signatures often change over time due to age, injury, and other factors – and an exact match with an original signature can result in ballots being thrown or voters not even receiving a ballot in their absence.

The House also passed Tuesday’s Senate Law 487, 87-2. The measure would take away the district officials’ authority to designate voting centers and instead give that authority to the county election commissioners.

This story has been updated with more details on HB1715 and answers from Governor Asa Hutchinson’s office and Senator Kim Hammer.

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