Campaign finance agencies in Arkansas
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In Arkansas, there are two primary agencies involved in campaign finance regulation: the Arkansas Ethics Commission and the Arkansas Secretary of State. The former serves as "the compliance and enforcement agency" for the state's disclosure laws, which apply to candidates, political committees, public officials, and loybbists. The latter serves as the reporting agency for candidates and political committees.[1][2]
Arkansas Ethics Commission
Authority
Established in 1991, the Arkansas Ethics Commission serves as "the compliance and enforcement agency under Arkansas' standards of conduct and disclosure laws concerning candidates for public office, state and local public officials, lobbyists and committees, and individuals involved with initiatives, referendums and other matters referred to the voters." The commission may issue advisory opinions "interpreting the ethics laws assigned to its jurisdiction." In addition, the commission is authorized to investigate alleged violations of the state's campaign finance and ethics laws. The commission may also issue "disciplinary action for violations of the law" or "refer its findings to a prosecuting attorney for criminal proceedings."[1]
Organization
The Arkansas Ethics Commission comprises five members who serve staggered five-year terms. Members are appointed by the following public officials:[1]
- Governor
- Lieutenant governor
- Attorney general
- President pro tempore of the Arkansas State Senate
- Speaker of the Arkansas State Senate
The commission is assisted by a staff comprising one executive director, two staff attorneys, two directors of compliance, one systems administrator, one fiscal officer, and two administrative assistants. The table below lists the commissioners as of July 2015.[1]
| Arkansas Ethics Commission—members as of July 2015 | |
|---|---|
| Name | Position |
| William C. Bird III | Chairman |
| Anna Sue Bray | Commissioner |
| Robert McCormack | Commissioner |
| Sharon K. Trusty | Commissioner |
| Sybil Jordan Hampton, Ed. D. | Commissioner |
| Source: Arkansas Ethics Commission, "About the Commission," accessed July 28, 2015 | |
Agency budget, 2010-2014
In fiscal year 2014, the Arkansas Ethics Commission spent $688,348. This represents a 3 percent increase over fiscal year 2010. See the table below for further details.[3][4]
| Arkansas Ethics Commission—spending between fiscal years 2010 and 2014 | |
|---|---|
| Year | Total expenditures |
| 2014 | $688,348 |
| 2013 | $667,416 |
| 2012 | $715,429 |
| 2011 | $687,532 |
| 2010 | $667,971 |
| Source: Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration, "Agency Actual Expenditures," accessed July 28, 2015 | |
Arkansas Secretary of State
- See also: Arkansas Secretary of State
Authority
The secretary of state is the chief elections official in Arkansas. In that capacity, the secretary of state oversees campaign finance report filing processes. The Elections Division, which administers day-to-day processes, is led by a division director.[5]
Organization
The table below provides information about the staff of the Elections Division as of July 2015.
| Arkansas Secretary of State, Elections Division—staff as of July 2015 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Position | Phone number |
| Mark Martin | Secretary of State | 501-682-1010 |
| Leslie Bellamy | Election Coordinator | 501-683-3721 |
| Josh Bridges | Voter Services Project Administrator | 501-682-3419 |
| Ralph Burns | Outreach Coordinator | 501-683-5453 |
| Jackie Cowan | Elections Services Representative | 501-682-3471 |
| Rob Hammons | Director, Elections Division | 501-683-3733 |
| Kyle Harris | Election Coordinator | 501-683-5487 |
| April Johnson | Elections Services Representative | 501-682-3478 |
| Shantell McGraw | Election Coordinator | 501-683-3717 |
| Mitchell Minyard | Voter Registration Supervisor | 501-682-3527 |
| Brandon Newell | Voter Services Representative | 501-682-8644 |
| Kevin Steele | Outreach Supervisor/Military & Veterans Liaison | 501-683-5098 |
| Ashley Trout | Elections Services Representative | 501-682-3451 |
| Source: Arkansas Secretary of State, "SoS Staff," accessed July 23, 2015 | ||
Electronic reporting system
Candidates and political committees file campaign finance disclosure reports electronically through an online reporting system maintained by the Elections Division. The filing system can be accessed here. Financial disclosure reports are accessible here.[6][7]
Contact information
Arkansas Ethics Commission
- P.O. Box 1917
- Little Rock, Arkansas 72203-1917
- Telephone: (800) 422-7773
Arkansas Secretary of State, Elections Division
- State Capitol, Suite 256
- 500 Woodlane Street
- Little Rock, Arkansas 72201
- Telephone: 501-682-5070
- Email: [email protected]
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Campaign finance Arkansas. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Arkansas Ethics Commission
- Arkansas Secretary of State, Elections Division
- Arkansas Secretary of State, "Financial Disclosure Search," accessed July 23, 2015
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Arkansas Ethics Commission, "About the Commission," accessed July 28, 2015
- ↑ Arkansas Code, "Title 7, Chapter 6, Subchapter 2, Section 207," accessed July 28, 2015
- ↑ State of Arkansas, "Actual Expenditures Fiscal Year 2014," accessed July 28, 2015
- ↑ State of Arkansas, "Actual Expenditures Fiscal Year 2015," accessed July 28, 2015
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "SoS Staff," accessed July 23, 2015
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedfinancial - ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Financial Disclosure Search," accessed July 23, 2015
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