Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Arkansas General Assembly, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
1 State of Arkansas A Bill
2 95th General Assembly
3 Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 291
4
5 By: Senator K. Hammer
6 By: Representative Rose
7
8 For An Act To Be Entitled
9 AN ACT TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING COMPLAINTS OF
10 ELECTION LAW VIOLATIONS; TO AMEND THE DEADLINES FOR
11 COMPLAINTS OF ELECTION LAW VIOLATIONS; AND FOR OTHER
12 PURPOSES.
13
14
15 Subtitle
16 TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING COMPLAINTS
17 OF ELECTION LAW VIOLATIONS; AND TO AMEND
18 THE DEADLINES FOR COMPLAINTS OF ELECTION
19 LAW VIOLATIONS.
20
21 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
22
23 SECTION 1. Arkansas Code � 7-4-120(b)(1)(A), concerning complaints of
24 election law violations filed with the State Board of Election Commissioners,
25 is amended to read as follows:
26 (b)(1)(A) A complaint shall be filed with the State Board of Election
27 Commissioners in writing no earlier than the date established by law for the
28 delivery or mailing of absentee ballots to a voter and no later than thirty
29 (30) days following the deadline to certify an election by a county board of
30 election commissioners forty-nine (49) days prior to the date of the election
31 and no later than forty-nine (49) days following the date of the election of
32 the following:
33 (i) An alleged violation of the laws regarding
34 elections including without limitation:
35 (a) Voter registration;
36 (b) Requests for absentee ballots;
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1 (c) Delivery of absentee ballots;
2 (d) Casting of ballots;
3 (e) Ballot tabulation;
4 (f) Certification of election results;
5 (g) Administration of an election;
6 (h) Election processes; or
7 (i) Conduct of an election; or
8 (ii) The election or elections affected or
9 associated with the complaint.
10
11 SECTION 2. Arkansas Code � 7-4-120(b)(1)(B), concerning the contents
12 of a complaint of election laws filed with the State Board of Election
13 Commissioners, is amended to read as follows:
14 (B) A complaint may be referred to the State Board of
15 Election Commissioners by the Joint Performance Review Committee and is not
16 subject to the thirty (30) day filing requirement under this subdivision
17 (b)(1).
18
19 SECTION 3. Arkansas Code � 7-4-120(c)(2)-(4), concerning complaints of
20 election law violations filed with the State Board of Election Commissioners,
21 are amended to read as follows:
22 (2) Except as provided in subdivisions (c)(3) and (4) of this
23 section, records under this section are exempt from disclosure under the
24 Freedom of Information Act of 1967, � 25-19-101 et seq., until:
25 (A) A hearing by the State Board of Election Commissioners
26 is set Thirty (30) days after the final adjudication at which the State Board
27 of Election Commissioners makes a final decision, at which point the records
28 of the investigation upon which the State Board of Election Commissioners has
29 based its findings shall be opened to public inspection; or
30 (B) The investigation by the State Board of Election
31 Commissioners is closed by the State Board of Election Commissioners A public
32 hearing before the State Board of Election Commissioners is set.
33 (3) The State Board of Election Commissioners shall may
34 disclose, through its members or staff, otherwise confidential information to
35 proper law enforcement officers, agencies, and other entities as is necessary
36 to conduct the investigation under this section.
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1 (4) The records of the investigation upon which the State Board
2 of Election Commissioners has based its findings shall be opened to public
3 inspection thirty (30) days after the final adjudication in which the State
4 Board of Election Commissioners makes a final decision Election monitor
5 reports generated by a state election monitor are not subject to the
6 exemptions under this subsection.
7
8 SECTION 4. Arkansas Code � 7-4-120(i)(1), concerning complaints of
9 election law violations filed with the State Board of Election Commissioners,
10 is amended to read as follows:
11 (i)(1) The State Board of Election Commissioners shall conclude its
12 investigation and take its final action under this section within one hundred
13 eighty (180) one hundred eighty-two (182) days of the filing of a complaint
14 final deadline to file a complaint for the election.
15
16 SECTION 5. Arkansas Code � 7-4-120(i)(3) and (4), concerning
17 complaints of election law violations filed with the State Board of Election
18 Commissioners, are amended to read as follows:
19 (3) However, if If the State Board of Election Commissioners
20 fails to take its final action within one hundred eighty (180) one hundred
21 eighty-two (182) days following the deadline to file a complaint, the final
22 administrative action shall be effective within one hundred eighty (180) one
23 hundred eighty-two (182) days of the filing of the complaint following the
24 deadline to file a complaint.
25 (4) If the State Board of Election Commissioners makes its offer
26 of settlement and the offer is rejected under this section, the State Board
27 of Election Commissioners may conduct a hearing and shall take final action
28 under this section within two hundred forty (240) two hundred forty-five
29 (245) days.
30
31 SECTION 6. Arkansas Code � 7-4-124(f), concerning an election
32 integrity review conducted by the State Board of Election Commissioners, is
33 amended to read as follows:
34 (f) If a county official refuses to provide records requested to
35 conduct a review under this section, the board may consider the failure to
36 provide documents as an indication that a criminal election law violation has
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1 occurred authorizing the filing of a complaint under � 7-4-120 more than
2 thirty (30) forty-nine (49) days after the deadline to certify the election.
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4 02/25/2025 8:45:20 AM SSS133Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.