Pulaski County election supplies found to be secure

Commission staff checked voting equipment, said it was handled properly

Shawn Camp (standing, left), assistant director of elections for the Pulaski County Election Commission, explains the ballot duplication process Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020, in Little Rock for poll watchers before election officials begin to create duplicate ballots to replace and tabulate defective and damaged ones from Tuesday’s election. More photos at arkansasonline.com/116ballots/.
Shawn Camp (standing, left), assistant director of elections for the Pulaski County Election Commission, explains the ballot duplication process Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020, in Little Rock for poll watchers before election officials begin to create duplicate ballots to replace and tabulate defective and damaged ones from Tuesday’s election. More photos at arkansasonline.com/116ballots/.

The Pulaski County Election Commission staff on Monday checked equipment and materials found last week at a polling place used in the November election.

According to Assistant Director Shawn Camp, all of the equipment was found in order and secure.

"The poll workers did a great job packing everything up," Camp said. "Everything was where we expected. The equipment was in the exact condition we expected it to be."

The equipment, found two and a half months after election day, was discussed during the Pulaski County Election Commission meeting on Friday when Commissioners Kristi Stahr, Evelyn Gomez and Joshua Price inquired to the staff about why the equipment was not picked up after the election.

Camp told the commissioners a search for the election materials could not happen until two staff members were present on Monday.

The commissioners requested that the staff members livestream the inspection, and a replay of the inspection is available on the Election Commission YouTube channel.

[RELATED: Full coverage of elections in Arkansas » arkansasonline.com/elections/]

Stahr said the purpose of the livestream is to regain the trust of Pulaski County residents in the electoral process.

"We've had so many issues in this election of materials being found moved throughout the building in different locations," Stahr said. "There are people throughout the county those who have interest in elections, it doesn't matter what their party affiliation is, that are just really doubting the integrity of how we're doing our business in Pulaski, and we want to instill that confidence back."

This isn't the first controversy regarding the election commission over the November election.

On Jan. 5, Republicans Stahr and Gomez voted to decertify Election Commission Director Bryan Poe over alleged mishandling of ballots, with Price, the lone Democrat, voting against.

In November 2019, Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde, a Democrat, took control of hiring and firing over the election commission staff, citing an "abusive" work environment caused by an unnamed commissioner.

Camp filed a police report on election day alleging that Gomez pushed him while attempting to gain access to offices used by the commission staff.

The Democrat-controlled Pulaski County Quorum Court narrowly defeated a resolution on Jan. 26 to condemn Stahr and Gomez while praising the commission.

The materials found Monday at the Vines Center on 1 Four-H Way were a DS-200 ballot scanner with 518 unused ballots, one ExpressVote marking device with power cord and headphones, two ExpressPoll electronic pollbooks with powercords and stands, a container of privacy screens, two pexiglass screens, one tub of covid-19 mitigation supplies and one election day equipment manual.

In response to the discovery of the equipment last week, Hyde requested an inventory of all of the equipment.

"The first thing that occurred to me is that we need to inventory our equipment and make sure we have everything back where it belongs," Hyde said. "And so that means running an inventory."

Stahr said she requested an audit as well, saying it was something they should do periodically anyway.

Camp said the process is "ongoing" to audit the equipment, but, with a small staff and two crucial members out, the process will likely only near completion by the end of the week.

"We have very limited staff, and the two people we have that are in charge of the equipment are both out," Camp said. "So, it's moving slowly at the moment, but it should pick up on Thursday."

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