Issues come and go and political parties often change their positions. But one concern that’s constant is the integrity of the election process itself, and that’s why the secretary of state’s race is important.

Last week, the three statewide candidates for the office that’s in charge of administering Arkansas elections faced off in a debate on Arkansas TV.  Those were Republican Sen. Kim Hammer, R-Benton; Democrat Kelly Grappe; and Libertarian Michael Pakko. You can watch the debate at www.arkansastv.gov or at the station’s YouTube channel.

The candidates bring impressive biographies to the contest. Hammer has been a state legislator for 16 years and has been a pastor and hospice minister. Grappe has been an executive with Alltel and Verizon and a grassroots political organizer. Pakko is a state economist and the longtime Libertarian Party chair. 

The top issue was Arkansas’ initiative process, where citizens can attempt to bypass the Legislature and pass constitutional amendments and initiated acts. Courts and the secretary of state’s office have invalidated many of those in recent years because of technical errors in the signature collection process.

Hammer has sponsored several laws related to the process, many of which U.S. District Judge Timothy Brooks has struck down. Those include laws requiring canvassers to read ballot titles aloud to potential signers, verify the signers’ identity using a photo identification, inform signers that ballot fraud is a crime, and require canvassers to be Arkansas residents.

Hammer said the state has appealed and that the laws’ purpose was to safeguard the process and the Constitution. In a post-debate press conference, he said, “I think it’s time for those that are fighting against it to be asked the question, why do you want to maintain a process that obviously has so many flaws in it?”

Grappe said the laws contradicted the state motto of “Regnat Populus,” which means, “The people rule.” As secretary of state, she would “hold the hands” of groups working through the initiative process and inform them of technical errors along the way. She said in the press conference that lawmakers have rigged the process with “gotchas.”

“The secretary of state’s job is to support this sacred right, and my plan is to put processes in place and stopgaps to ensure that the people’s voice is heard,” she said in the debate.

Pakko argued that Hammer’s laws made it too difficult for ordinary citizens to participate. The laws’ effect was to limit the process to big money interests. He said in the press conference that the laws were “blatantly unconstitutional and were definitely an obstacle to the execution of direct democracy in Arkansas, a direct assault on the principle of ‘Regnat Populus.’”

Among the other topics was Issue 1 on this year’s ballot. It would amend the Arkansas Constitution to say that “only” citizens can vote. The Constitution now says “any” citizen can vote. 

Hammer said it would provide clarity and close loopholes. He said noncitizens can vote in some states’ local elections, embedding them in the process.

Grappe said the Constitution along with state laws already effectively prevent noncitizens from voting. Pakko largely agreed, saying legislators referred Issue 1 to rouse their supporters and that it wastes an opportunity to have a more meaningful proposal on the ballot.

Hammer said it’s important to keep noncitizens from voting so as not to dilute the votes of citizen voters. Current Secretary of State Cole Jester’s office found 240 noncitizens had registered. (The number that voted was 37, according to Jester’s office.) Some elections have been decided by one vote or even were tied, so any noncitizen voting is unacceptable, Hammer said. 

Pakko said the 240 was a very small percentage of Arkansas voters. He said most registrations might be the results of errors involving people who never intended to vote. Grappe said only citizens should vote, but it’s a process problem. She would use technology and work with county clerks, the officeholders ultimately responsible for clean voter rolls.

Asked about the state’s low voter turnout and registration, Pakko said voters need more choices that would inspire them to vote, which Libertarians can provide. Grappe said the secretary of state can educate Arkansans as to why voting is important. Hammer pledged to make education a key part of his agenda.

Finally, on the question of mail-in voting, Grappe said technology can improve the process, while Pakko called for expanding mail-in options. Hammer said the state should protect absentee voting for members of the military and those who have legitimate medical and “life standard” reasons, but the state must prevent fraud. He said absentee balloting led to questions about the 2020 presidential election being stolen.

The secretary of state also is responsible for various business filings. The three largely agreed that the processes are too hard and the current website too difficult to navigate.

Those are your candidates for secretary of state. The winner will be in charge of administering elections next time.

Steve Brawner’s column is syndicated to 24 news outlets in Arkansas. Email him at brawnersteve@mac.com.