Arkansas secretary of state touts election security, calls for changes to ballot initiative process

Arkansas Secretary of State Cole Jester on Monday declared Arkansas has “the most secure elections in the country” but cast doubt on the security of absentee voting and the integrity of citizen-led ballot initiatives.

Jester, who took office Jan. 2, called for a “top-to-bottom security review” of Arkansas’ election procedures on Jan. 24 and presented his findings at a press conference Monday. The report his office released Monday labeled four of its seven focus areas — in-person voting, county outreach, cybersecurity and physical security — with an “A” grade. The report labeled voter registration “B+” and absentee voting “B-.”

The initiative petition process received the lowest grade with a “D,” and Jester said the review found “thousands of fraudulent signatures” on petitions for ballot measures.

He and his deputy secretary and chief legal counsel, Nathan Lee, expressed support for several bills moving through the Legislature that would add more regulations to the initiative process.



https://arkansasadvocate.com/2025/02/17/arkansas-secretary-of-state-touts-election-security-calls-for-changes-to-ballot-initiative-process/