Two of the three candidates running for Arkansas secretary of state met in Conway on Wednesday for the Arkansas Educational Television Network debate.
Incumbent Republican Mark Martin declined the invitation to participate, AETN staff confirmed. A spokesman for his campaign said late last week that Martin had a scheduling conflict but declined to say what it was.
Democrat Susan Inman and Libertarian Jacob Holloway debated each other for 55 minutes, both criticizing Martin on several occasions.
Liberal blog Blue Hog Report posted a story early Wednesday criticizing Martin for missing the debate and pointing to the politician's personal Facebook profile to show that Martin, a Prairie Grove Republican, has missed many workdays at the state Capitol. Calls to a cellphone listed as Martin's and to a campaign spokesman were not returned Wednesday.
During her opening statement, Inman referenced the report.
"I especially thank Jacob for showing up today and taking this busy time out of his life to participate. It's very unfortunate that the current secretary of state declined to appear," she said. "I did learn from the Blue Hog Report that was posted this morning that he has been renamed secretary of Facebook and posts an inordinate amount of Facebook posts from his home in Prairie Grove as opposed to coming to Little Rock and going to work."
Holloway later answered a direct question about Martin's performance, saying he's frustrated by a lack of intelligent leadership.
"I ran into our incumbent secretary of state last night at the Indian Hills Neighborhood Association meeting. I found him, he was there," Holloway said. "I asked him to come to the debate. ... I think it really shows the lack of participation by political candidates, someone running for re-election who has been in office for four years, doesn't want to stand up to public scrutiny."
The two were also asked whether they support the state's voter-identification laws that went into effect in January, and which were overturned later Wednesday by the Arkansas Supreme Court. Both Holloway and Inman said they opposed the law and criticized its implementation.
"When Arkansas is already dead last, one of the dead last states for voter participation and turnout, why are we suppressing the vote even more? That's what I really believe this was intended to do," Holloway said.
Inman said she would spend more money on voter education.
"Our current secretary of state spent a lot of money frivolously, illegally, instead of putting those resources toward voter education," she said. "Absolutely, education to the citizens about the voting process is what the office of the secretary of state has to do ... I have plans in place to provide a better education component to all the citizens of the state of Arkansas, to encourage voting ... to make it more accessible, not restrictive."
Metro on 10/16/2014