All 3 members of the Searcy County Election Commission resigned September 18, 2026, citing concerns about voter assignments, ballot accuracy and what they described as fear of unfair treatment by the Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners.
Chairman Laurie Gross and commissioners Ken Weekly and LC Ratchford announced their resignations in a statement issued in Marshall. The commission consisted of 2 Republicans and 1 Democrat.
According to the statement, the commissioners believed they could not confidently ensure every voter would receive the correct ballot following changes that reduced the county’s election precincts from 15 to 7.
PRECINCT CHANGES AND BALLOT CONCERNS
The commissioners said they worked with the state’s geographic information systems office on the precinct changes, with strong encouragement from the State Board of Election Commissioners.
They said they were assured that assigning voters to the new precinct divisions would be straightforward and could be completed within the available time.
However, coordinators preparing ballots began identifying potential errors in voter assignments and precinct designations, according to the statement.
The commissioners said the County Clerk’s Office initially assured them the information was correct. They said additional concerns prompted them to contact the Secretary of State’s office and the State Board.
According to the commissioners, efforts to correct the assignments delayed ballot completion by approximately 2 weeks, putting pressure on election deadlines.
COMMISSIONERS CITE DATABASE ACCESS LIMITS
The commissioners said they could not directly access or correct voter information in the ES&S Power Profile database. They attributed responsibility for entering and maintaining that information to the County Clerk’s Office.
Weekly said the commission was being held accountable for ballot accuracy despite lacking control over the database or authority over the clerk’s office.
During an emergency meeting with State Board Director Chris Madison, the commissioners asked about their potential liability if voters received incorrect ballots.
According to their account, Madison told them commissioners and clerks shared responsibility for ensuring voters received the correct ballots and could be held liable for violations.
The commissioners cited Arkansas Code 7-1-104(a)(13) as a concern. That provision prohibits election officials from knowingly permitting someone to vote a ballot other than their legal ballot. Violations covered by that section are classified as Class D felonies. The statute’s wording includes a knowledge requirement; it does not classify every election mistake as a felony.
PRIOR DISPUTES CONTRIBUTED TO DECISION
Gross alleged that previous disputes with the State Board included inadequate training, false accusations, attempted decertification and threatened prosecution. She said the commissioners had successfully defended themselves against previous accusations but were unwilling to face another potentially lengthy and costly dispute.
“I cannot in good conscience risk another round of accusations, court appearances, attorney costs,” Gross said in the statement.
Weekly similarly cited concerns about renewed allegations and the State Board’s enforcement process.
Ratchford said uncertainty about whether voter assignments had been corrected left him feeling unable to continue.
“I feel I have no choice but to resign a job I truly love and thought I would be doing for many years to come,” Ratchford said.
The allegations about prior misconduct and selective enforcement represent the commissioners’ account and have not been independently established for this report. Responses from the State Board and County Clerk’s Office were not included in the supplied statement.
The statement did not identify replacement commissioners, confirm whether the disputed voter assignments had been corrected or outline how remaining election preparations would be handled.
SOURCE:
September 18, 2026, resignation statement attributed to Searcy County Election Commissioners Laurie Gross, Ken Weekly and LC Ratchford.
Leave a Reply