Recently established group focused on voting integrity in Arkansas

Little Rock, Arkansas – Concerns over election integrity are widespread across party divides, ranging from worries about Russian meddling to fabrications about ballots missing.

In light of this, Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has chosen to activate a recently established election unit.
Griffin sent out a general reminder to Arkansans on Thursday regarding the 2023-established Election Integrity Unit.

“Thanks to the legislature’s work last year, my office now has the authority to bring a civil cause of action against those who violate our election laws. This is an important tool to ensure that our laws are followed as monetary damages can be an effective deterrent,” said Attorney General Tim Griffin.

He described how Wayne Bewley, the former chief of police in Little Rock, is one of his investigators in the squad. He added that they are collaborating to combat election-related crimes.

“Whether it involves the actual voting, or whether it involves certain political activities, right by the front door of the voting area. There are many different laws, and we will look at all of that when we receive the allegation,” Griffin added.

He also described the process by which the Election Integrity Unit looks into any claims made to make sure that voters are aware that the system is not rigged. If anything they discover to be true, there will be repercussions for all parties concerned.

“Because someone may think, you know, what’s the worst that can happen? I mean, I’m in jail for a week. Well, I can take $10,000 or whatever, fine, and impose that upon them, depending on the circumstances and that can be significant. So, it’s another tool in the toolbox, where we don’t have to pick a civil approach or criminal, we can pursue both,” Griffin described.
Another reason why the unit was created is because a lot of questions were circulating both nationally and locally regarding voting accuracy.

“It’s really important that voters have confidence in our election system and the integrity of voting in Arkansas. The good news is, we have a great track record in Arkansas of secure elections and that’s because we have numerous officials at the county level. and at the state level,” Griffin said.

He declared that the unit would remain operational during and after election season.

“One of the roles of my office is to work to investigate any allegations that there may be some misconduct at the polling location in the voting, and the counting, or whatever,” Griffin said. “I wanted to make certain that people knew who to call, and how to get in touch with my office if they believe if they’ve got that they’ve got some information that I need to look into.”
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding the Election Integrity Unit you can reach out to the Attorney General’s office.