BENTONVILLE — While Democrats make up a majority of Benton County's three-man election commission, the commission's lone Republican member may decide who serves as chairman.
AT A GLANCE
County Boards Of Election Commissioners
The county chair of the county committee of the majority party and the county chair of the county committee of the minority party shall be members of the county board of election commissioners together with one additional or third member selected by the county committee of the majority party at the same time as the election of party officers.
Provided, however, if the county chair of a county committee of the majority party or the minority party is an elected official or is otherwise ineligible to serve as a member of the county board of election commissioners, he or she shall not serve as a member of the county board, but the county committee shall select a resident of the county qualified to serve in his or her stead.
Any county chair of a county committee of the majority party or the minority party may elect not to serve as a member of the county board, and the county committee shall select a resident of the county qualified to serve in his or her stead.
Source: Arkansas Code 7-4-102
Definitions
“Majority party” means that political party in the State of Arkansas whose candidates were elected to a majority of the constitutional offices of this state in the last preceding general election.
Source: Arkansas Code 7-1-101
The commission is set to meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the commission office at 105 S.E. Executive Drive, Suite 1, in Bentonville.
Democrats Bill Williams and E.J. Miller each said Monday they don't think the other should be chairman.
Miller was chairman of the commission until he was removed in September by a vote of Williams and then-commissioner Bob Balfe. Miller said he was unfairly removed and defended his job performance.
"There's no question I was upset because I thought that up to then I'd done a good job," Miller said. "We had an April election, a May primary election and a primary runoff and two or three other elections all during the time I was chairman and there wasn't a hitch."
Miller said Williams was responsible for what he called "that debacle of the plane ride" when Williams and Election Coordinator Amy Huston flew to Omaha, Neb., to pick up election software, charging the cost of the flight to the commission budget. Miller also said the malfunction of "100-some-odd" voting machines on the day of the November general election reflected poorly on Williams as chairman.
"From a fair-minded point of view, the first eight months of the year went pretty smoothly," Miller said. "How did the last four months go?"
Williams said Monday he considers Miller "unacceptable" as chairman, but refused to elaborate. After Miller was removed as chairman, Williams pointed to controversies involving the commission levying a new general and administrative fee for elections and Miller's handling of a dispute with the city of Avoca over its bill for the cost of a special election.
Williams also said at that time that the commission's relationship with the Benton County Quorum Court deteriorated with Miller as chairman and he questioned Miller's ability to steer the commission's 2011 budget through the Quorum Court's review process.
Sevak, chairman of the Benton County Republican Party Committee, chose to serve on the commission himself this year rather than appoint someone to serve in his stead. He said he wasn't seeking the chairmanship, but wouldn't rule out serving if it was offered to him. He acknowledged that if the two Democrats split he holds the deciding vote.
"We know that," Sevak said of the disagreement between Williams and Miller. "If it came down to that, I probably would end up being the deciding vote. If it happens, it would be an honor and a pleasure to serve the people of Benton County."
Sevak said the commission needs to focus on conducting fair and open elections and rebuilding public confidence in the election process.
"We'll see what comes out of this meeting," he said. "Hopefully, we can move forward."