Bill > HB1884

This bill amends Arkansas election law to modify how paper ballots are marked and counted. Specifically, the bill requires each hand-counted paper ballot to have either a watermark or an ultraviolet ink seal with a unique placement for each election cycle. The bill also changes the rules for ballot counting, stipulating that poll workers must complete the hand count within 24 hours of polls closing, with only limited exceptions. If the hand count is not completed at least 24 hours before the certification deadline, the machine-tabulated results will be certified. The bill provides provisions for continuing the count if poll workers become sick or incapacitated, requiring a minimum of four poll workers to complete the process. Notably, the bill introduces an exemption to the continuous counting requirement: if ballots are sealed in a double-locking hard shell ballot box and stored in a locked room continuously guarded by a sheriff's deputy, poll workers may pause the counting process. All hand-count ballot totals must be recorded by race in each precinct and posted upon completion.

Government Affairs

https://arkleg.state.ar.us/Bills/Detail?id=hb1884&ddBienniumSession=2025%2F2025R