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 As Engrossed: H3/6/25
2 95th General Assembly
A Bill
3 Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 308
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 A WRITE-IN
10 CANDIDATE; TO REMOVE REFERENCES TO A WRITE-IN
11 CANDIDATE; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
12
13
14 Subtitle
15 TO AMEND THE LAW CONCERNING A WRITE-IN
16 CANDIDATE; AND TO REMOVE REFERENCES TO A
17 WRITE-IN CANDIDATE.
18
19 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
20
21 SECTION 1. Arkansas Code � 7-4-109(c)(2)(A), concerning the
22 qualifications of state and county commissioners, election officials, poll
23 workers, and certified election monitors, is amended to read as follows:
24 (2)(A) Except as provided in subdivision (c)(2)(B) of this
25 section, a person serving on the county board of election commissioners shall
26 not participate in the campaign of any candidate listed on a ballot or of a
27 write-in candidate seeking election in that county that falls under the
28 county board of election commissioners' jurisdiction or authority.
29
30 SECTION 2. Arkansas Code � 7-5-416(e)(2)(A) and (B), concerning the
31 counting of absentee ballots, are amended to read as follows:
32 (2)(A) The ballots shall first be counted for write-in votes by
33 the election officials.
34 (B) Then, at At the discretion of the county board of
35 election commissioners, the ballots may be either hand counted or counted on
36 an electronic vote tabulating device.
*SSS138* 03-06-2025 09:37:08 SSS138
As Engrossed: H3/6/25 SB308
1
2 SECTION 3. Arkansas Code � 7-5-615(e), concerning the tabulation of
3 votes, defective ballots, and certification of returns, is amended to read as
4 follows:
5 (e) The return printed by the electronic vote tabulating device, to
6 which the return of write-in, early, and absentee votes have been added,
7 shall constitute the official return of each polling site. All returns shall
8 be certified by the election officials in charge of the tabulation thereof in
9 the manner provided by law.
10
11 SECTION 4. Arkansas Code � 7-6-102(a)(4), concerning the political
12 practices pledge and penalty for falsification, is repealed.
13 (4) Write-in candidates shall file the political practices
14 pledge at the time of filing the notice to be a write-in candidate.
15
16 SECTION 5. Arkansas Code � 7-11-102(9), concerning content of the
17 calling document for an election to fill a vacancy, is repealed.
18 (9) The deadline for filing as a write-in candidate if
19 applicable;
20
21 /s/K. Hammer
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
2 03-06-2025 09:37:08 SSS138Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.