{"id":2229933,"date":"2024-04-25T10:26:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-25T14:26:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/leftist-group-screams-voter-suppression-after-colliding-with-arkansas-election-law\/"},"modified":"2024-04-25T10:36:16","modified_gmt":"2024-04-25T14:36:16","slug":"leftist-group-screams-voter-suppression-after-colliding-with-arkansas-election-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/leftist-group-screams-voter-suppression-after-colliding-with-arkansas-election-law\/","title":{"rendered":"Left-wing activists protest Arkansas election law, claim voter suppression"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fleftist-group-screams-voter-suppression-after-colliding-with-arkansas-election-law%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2229933&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Joyce Elliott, a\u2064 Democrat activist and former \u200bArkansas state senator, accuses state election laws of voter suppression. \u2063She has started a GoFundMe campaign to challenge restrictive voter registration rules. The controversy arose after her left-wing group, inspired by Stacey Abrams\u2019 Fair Fight in Georgia, \u2064clashed with election regulations at the Arkansas \u200dState Capitol. \u2063Joyce Elliott, \u2062a Democratic activist and \u2063former Arkansas state senator, alleges voter\u200d suppression due to state election laws. She initiated a GoFundMe campaign to contest strict voter registration regulations. The dispute unfolded when her progressive group, modeled after\u200c Stacey\u200c Abrams&#8217; Fair Fight in\u2063 Georgia,\u2063 faced obstacles with election laws at the Arkansas State\u200b Capitol.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>In an all-too-common refrain in the war on election integrity, a Democrat activist and former Arkansas state senator is screaming \u201cvoter suppression!\u201d after her leftist group ran up against state election law.<\/p>\n<p>Now <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/xjelliott?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Joyce Elliott<\/a> has created a GoFundMe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/sgbnp-gla-fundraiser\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">page<\/a> seeking $50,000 to \u201c[take] a stand against restrictive voter registration rules that could disenfranchise thousands of Arkansans.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1222706933\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-62604a46229b293683e3367bc36abd04 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-62604a46229b293683e3367bc36abd04\"><\/div>\n<p>Elliott\u2019s left-wing, get-out-the-vote group <a href=\"https:\/\/getloudarkansas.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Get Loud Arkansas!<\/a>, which she \u201cmodeled on former Georgia gubernatorial candidate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/person\/stacey-abrams\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Stacey Abrams<\/a>\u2019s left-of-center <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/fair-fight-action\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Fair Fight<\/a> in Georgia,\u201d according to activist tracker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.influencewatch.org\/non-profit\/get-loud-arkansas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">InfluenceWatch,<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GetLoudArkansas\/status\/1782870990533300432\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">called<\/a> for a protest Tuesday evening. <\/p>\n<p>The rally at the Arkansas State Capitol was scheduled after the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arkansas.gov\/sbec\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners<\/a> approved an <a href=\"https:\/\/arktimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Item-6-DRAFT-Rule-Regarding-Voter-Registration.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">emergency rule<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/arktimes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/Item-7.1-DRAFT-DO-2024-002.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">declaratory order<\/a> reiterating that electronic signatures are only permitted on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/virginia-democrat-governor-candidate-touts-endorsement-from-group-that-committed-voter-fraud-supports-defunding-police\/\" title=\"Virginia Democrat Governor Candidate Touts Endorsement From Group That Committed Voter Fraud, Supports Defunding Police\">voter registration forms<\/a> that are completed through specific government agencies \u2014 as spelled out in the <a href=\"https:\/\/law.justia.com\/constitution\/arkansas\/amendments\/amendment-51\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">state\u2019s constitution<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhat we have here is an activist group recreating government forms to collect sensitive voter data privately. Then, they used third-party software to fill in the official form while transferring the voters\u2019 e-signatures. What could go wrong?\u201d Said <a href=\"https:\/\/thefga.org\/fga-author\/kristi-stahr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kristi Stahr<\/a>, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/university-researcher-fired-based-on-vague-allegations-from-3-women-now-hes-suing\/\" title=\"University researcher terminated over unclear accusations by three women, initiates legal action\">senior data analyst<\/a> for the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA). <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Legally Compliant?<\/h2>\n<p>As one of <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Online_voter_registration\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">eight states<\/a> that generally do not allow online voter registrations, Arkansas only accepts online registrations if they are part of the \u201cprocesses implemented by identified Registration Agencies,\u201d in accordance with the 51st amendment to the Arkansas Constitution. Qualifying government entities include the Office of Driver Services in the Revenue Division of the Department of Finance, state revenue offices, public assistance agencies, and disability agencies. Otherwise, applicants must use a wet signature or wet mark made on a paper voter registration form with a pen or other writing device.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-4aaa1896fec20e067dbc41032022c21d fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-4aaa1896fec20e067dbc41032022c21d\"><\/div>\n<p>Get Loud Arkansas developed what it claimed was a \u201clegally compliant digital platform\u201d on its web page for \u201cArkansans to fill out and sign their voter registration application online.\u201d The <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20240423001054\/https:\/form.jotform.com\/240666930765162\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">online form<\/a> sought information found on the state application \u2014 name, address, and birth date, as well as sensitive information such as driver\u2019s license number and the last four digits of the applicant\u2019s social security number.<\/p>\n<p>The online form asks several questions: <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>Are you a citizen of the United States of America and an Arkansas resident?<\/p>\n<p>Are you presently adjudicated mentally incompetent by a court of competent jurisdiction?<\/p>\n<p>Have you ever been convicted of a felony without your sentence having been discharged or pardoned?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>It also includes an optional box for \u201cparty affiliation.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cOnce completed, we print and mail the application to the appropriate election officials for you,\u201d states an <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20240423001054\/https:\/form.jotform.com\/240666930765162\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">archived copy of the page<\/a> obtained by The Federalist. The form has been disabled, <a href=\"https:\/\/form.jotform.com\/240666930765162\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">according to the organization<\/a>, \u201cdue to the emergency rule created by the election commission and Secretary of State.\u201d <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3dfc9f34de5937ab75fdd117000d3e4d fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-3dfc9f34de5937ab75fdd117000d3e4d\"><\/div>\n<p>The digital platform was not \u201clegally compliant,\u201d according to the Board of Election Commissioners\u2019 decision. What\u2019s more, the county clerks that have accepted the <a href=\"https:\/\/arktimes.com\/arkansas-blog\/2024\/04\/23\/state-election-board-tightens-voter-registration-process-advocates-call-it-deliberate-voter-suppression\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reportedly<\/a> hundreds of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/georgia-secretary-of-state-investigating-voter-registration-group-run-by-democrat-raphael-warnock\/\" title=\"Georgia Secretary Of State Investigating Voter Registration Group Run By Democrat Raphael Warnock\">voter registration applications<\/a> from Elliott\u2019s group did not have authority to accept them, according to the declaratory order document. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cA county clerk as the permanent registrar is tasked with recording in the centralized system voter registration applications for lawfully completed and submitted applications. A county clerk does not have discretion to accept an application that is signed with a computer process, unless the application comes from an identified Registration Agency,\u201d the order states. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Who\u2019s Suppressing Voters?<\/h2>\n<p>Board staff reviewed the matter after an Arkansas voter filed a declaratory order request questioning Get Loud Arkansas\u2019 activities. <\/p>\n<p>Ironically, the same leftist organization accusing the state of voter suppression could ultimately disenfranchise voters through its electronic registration application form. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cA voter who is registered by an application that included an electronic signature that was created or duplicated through the use of a computer process and was delivered by the voter, mailed by the voter, or delivered on behalf of the voter by a third-party registration organization is not valid at the time of the original submission,\u201d the order states. \u201cAn invalid registration cannot be cured by subsequently moving, unless the applicant completes a new voter registration application that includes a wet signature or wet mark or is submitted on behalf of the voter by an identified Registration Agency listed in Amendment 51.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>SBEC Director Chris Madison told The Federalist there was initially some confusion about the law by the secretary of state\u2019s office, which reached out to Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin for clarification. <\/p>\n<p>In Griffin\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/ag-opinions.s3.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2024-049.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">opinion<\/a>, sent to Secretary of State John Thurston on April 10, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/michigan-ag-sought-to-arrest-bistro-owner-defying-lockdowns-before-appearance-on-tucker-carlson-tonight\/\" title=\"Michigan AG Sought To Arrest Bistro Owner Defying Lockdowns Before Appearance On \u2018Tucker Carlson Tonight\u2019\">attorney general confirmed<\/a> that third-party organizations \u201ccannot create and use a different form of its own to register voters.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>But to Elliott, a <a href=\"https:\/\/ballotpedia.org\/Joyce_Elliott\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">term-limited former state senator<\/a> and unsuccessful candidate for Arkansas\u2019 2nd Congressional seat, it\u2019s all just <a href=\"https:\/\/arktimes.com\/arkansas-blog\/2024\/04\/23\/state-election-board-tightens-voter-registration-process-advocates-call-it-deliberate-voter-suppression\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">\u201cdeliberate voter suppression.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"> <span class=\"0nyXFbpaQErVxG8JZSQ9pTx9h3ySWG8OMZNkAAwjiKc5RqP5foMXhzKIes7UVjYFl2c1BDtmRdu2H6oDgzPd3vbfIuv6ilr\"><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">In 19 minutes, a handful of people made a decision that would further suppress voters in Arkansas. This emergency ruling will not silence our movement. We need you in this fight, join us today for the Voter Rights Rally at the Arkansas State Capitol.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/arkansas?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#arkansas<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/getloud?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#getloud<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/arleg?src=hash&#038;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#arleg<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/1FFGNiPKWD\">pic.twitter.com\/1FFGNiPKWD<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Get Loud, Arkansas! (@GetLoudArkansas) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/GetLoudArkansas\/status\/1782870990533300432?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 23, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/span> <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>According to a story in the Arkansas Times, Elliott said the order will disproportionately affect young people, rural residents, and racial minorities. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo whether they meant to [suppress votes] or not, that\u2019s the result,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/arktimes.com\/arkansas-blog\/2024\/04\/23\/state-election-board-tightens-voter-registration-process-advocates-call-it-deliberate-voter-suppression\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">she said<\/a> at a press conference. \u201cAnd nobody should be OK with that result.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So Elliott and Get Loud Arkansas quickly set up a<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gofundme.com\/f\/sgbnp-gla-fundraiser\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"> GoFundMe page<\/a> to potentially sue the state for what the group claims are restrictive voter registration laws. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn response to blatant voter suppression efforts, we are exploring legal action against the Arkansas Secretary of State and the State Board of Election Commissioners. These entities are working to unnecessarily complicate the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-puts-susan-rice-in-charge-of-effort-to-expand-vote-by-mail\/\" title=\"Biden Puts Susan Rice in Charge of Effort to Expand Vote by Mail\">voter registration process<\/a> and silence eligible Arkansas voters,\u201d states the page, which, as of Thursday morning, had raised $1,760. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you\u2019re a hammer, everything looks like a nail. When you\u2019re a liberal, everything looks like racist voter suppression,\u201d\u00a0the FGA\u2019s Stahr said.\u00a0\u201cThe reality is, Arkansas officials are just following the law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Madison said the SBEC will next work to promulgate a permanent order following public input. But the law is the law. <\/p>\n<p>That fact seems to matter little to leftist groups and Democrat operatives finding new and innovative ways to get around election integrity laws \u2014 from ballot harvesting to Zuckbucks to Bidenbucks. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnfortunately, this is part of a broader trend we\u2019ve seen around the country:\u00a0The Left exploits areas where the law is silent, then exploits novel electioneering strategies before lawmakers or the courts can close the loophole,\u201d\u00a0Stahr said.\u00a0\u201cIt\u2019s what happened with \u2018Zuckerbucks,\u2019 and it\u2019s happening now with voter registration.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-6c723ed4a835093190c73656acc643a8 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-6c723ed4a835093190c73656acc643a8\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the ongoing battle for election integrity, Joyce Elliott, a Democrat activist and ex-Arkansas senator, accuses state election laws of voter suppression. Elliott launches a $50,000 GoFundMe campaign to challenge what she sees as restrictive voter registration rules that may disenfranchise many<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":656,"featured_media":2229934,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/voterregistration-scaled.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2229933","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/voterregistration-scaled.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2229933","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/656"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2229933"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2229933\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2229934"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2229933"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2229933"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2229933"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}