PINE BLUFF -- Jefferson County will not seek to delay the upcoming March 31 primary runoff election, despite a decision Monday night by the county board of election commissioners to ask the prosecuting attorney to file suit in circuit court in an effort to postpone the election until May 19.
Prosecuting Attorney Kyle Hunter responded to the board that the legally prudent course of action would be to forge ahead with preparations for the March 31 runoff rather than try to set a precedent by seeking the delay for which there is no mechanism in state law to support.
"I got the letter from the commission asking me to go forward," Hunter said Tuesday. "I sent them back a response today telling them my opinion is to follow the recommendation of the [State Board of Election Commissioners], and the governor's office, and that the legally prudent thing right now for Jefferson County is to follow that course of action and to prepare for an election on March 31."
Hunter said part of what drove his decision is the fact that Jefferson County would have stood alone among the 12 counties that have runoff elections in trying to buck state law and delay the runoff.
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"As of right now, they are all trying to have the election as it's scheduled and you never know about issues that could arise because of doing something unprecedented," Hunter said. "I just think the prudent thing regarding the election is to go forward and have the election unless something is done statewide to affect all 12 counties. In my opinion it's better that the 12 counties proceed."
On Tuesday night, the Jefferson County Election Commission approved six polling sites to be active on March 31 -- three in the Jefferson County District 13 runoff race between Jeff Edwards, 56, of Sherrill and incumbent Justice of the Peace Brenda Bishop Gaddy, 65, of Altheimer; and three in the Pine Bluff Ward 2 runoff race between Lloyd Franklin II, 40, and Steven Shaner, 43.
The commissioners also approved guidelines for personal protective measures to be taken for poll workers, including keeping poll workers and voters separated by at least six feet, asking poll workers and voters to not bring children to the polls, providing rubber gloves for poll workers to wear and alcohol wipes to disinfect voting machines between voters.
Other than Jefferson County, the counties that have runoff elections March 31 are Arkansas, Benton, Conway, Craighead, Garland, Grant, Greene, Hot Spring, Logan, Saline, and White counties.
Election Commissioner Stuart "Stu" Soffer, who walked out of Monday night's commission meeting first indicating that he would resign and later saying that he only intended to take a break from the commission until after the runoff election, was in attendance at the meeting. On Tuesday morning, Soffer sent an email clarifying his intentions.
In the email, Soffer made it clear he did not resign from the commission. He said he was "tired of the [expletive] and left the meeting because of said [expletive]."
In the email, Soffer clarified that he "quit" the meeting and not the commission.
In the email, Soffer said "The verb, as defined by Merriam-Webster and as used referred to the meeting deteriorating to talk foolishly, boastfully, or idly; and engaging in an uninformed discursive discussion as in posturing and quibbling. We are faced with a serious crisis and when leadership was needed from all three of us, it was not there. When I said, 'I have had it' that is exactly what I meant. I am taking a hiatus, do not want to be disturbed by anyone other than Mr. Hunter."
State Desk on 03/18/2020