Following up on our June 16th story, searcy-co-commissioner-speaks-out-we-were-targeted-for-paper-ballots, new information is now available. The Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners (SBEC) issued an Offer of Settlement to the three Searcy County election Commissioners. Commissioner Laurie Gross shared the letter with Conduit News.
The settlement offer proposed decertification as election officials for seven federal election cycles—equal to 14 years—and expressed strong disapproval of alleged violations. The letter explained the accusations but also made clear that the commissioners were not obligated to accept the offer. If rejected, a full public hearing would be scheduled in Little Rock before August 11, 2025.
All three commissioners declined to sign the offer and have chosen to fight the charges. The SBEC met on July 16, and officially set the hearing date for August 6, 2025, at 9:00 a.m. in Little Rock.
In a show of local support, the Searcy County Republican Committee unanimously passed a resolution on July 10th reiterating their unequivocal support of all three election commissioners.
