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Tuesday, October 14
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The Lawfare Persists: Decorated Army Colonel Faces Criminal Charges in Arkansas For “Electioneering” After Conducting an Exit Poll

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President Donald Trump with Colonel Conrad Reyonds

 

The lawfare, particularly regarding elections, has ramped up across the United States since the highly contentious 2020 Presidential Election.  And while there are some small victories, the lawfare persists, now in a solid red state who was on the brink of eliminating voting machines in lieu of hand-marked, hand-counted paper ballots.

President Donald Trump faced a racketeering charge in Georgia, along with the Republican electors and other co-conspirators, until District Attorney Fani Willis was removed from the case by the presiding judge.

Former Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters was convicted and sentenced to nine years in prison for her role in ensuring that election records were properly maintained before a “Trusted Build,” ordered by the Secretary of State, that would have erased the 2020 election records before the statutorily-mandated retention period expired.

The Republican alternate electors had their criminal cases dismissed last month in Michigan after the judge decided the State’s evidence proved they did not commit the crimes they were alleged to have committed.  The case against Arizona’s electors has stalled after it was discovered the grand jury that indicted them was not read the entirety of the Electors Clause when they were impaneled.

Arkansas Charges Decorated Colonel Who Brought Hand Counted Paper Ballots to Two Counties

As reported by The Gateway Pundit, Searcy County, AR became the first county in the state to vote exclusively on hand-marked, hand-counted paper ballots.  Following a bumpy ‘first-run’ in the 2024 Primary but a flawless 2024 General Election, the Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners attempted to disqualify the county commissioners for 14 years, however, that effort ultimately failed.

Independence was set to follow in their footsteps by moving to hand-counted paper ballots after voting 63% in favor of the move to mirror Searcy County.

But following that election last November, allegations of electioneering presented an opportunity to wage lawfare against one of the primary activists who helped both counties remove the machines.

According to Little Rock Public Radio, an outlet federally funded through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting:

An election worker heard several complaints about Reynolds and Black bothering voters. The warrant says they “were asking voters questions,” and conducting an “exit poll” as close as 29 feet to the building.

If the claims are true, Reynolds broke state law banning “electioneering.” This is when someone tries to solicit votes or talk about an issue within 100 feet of a polling place. Reynolds, at about 29 feet, was well within the illegal threshold.

Colonel Conrad Reynolds will turn himself in on Wednesday over the charge.

Under AR Code § 7-1-103, “electioneering” is defined as “the display of or audible dissemination of information that advocates for or against any candidate, issue, or measure on a ballot.”

Specifically, the code states that electioneering “includes without limitation the following”:

  • (a) Handing out, distributing, or offering to hand out or distribute campaign literature or literature regarding a candidate, issue, or measure on the ballot;
  • (b) Soliciting signatures on a petition;
  • (c) Soliciting contributions for a charitable or other purpose;
  • (d) Displaying a candidate’s name, likeness, or logo;
  • (e) Displaying a ballot measure’s number, title, subject, or logo;
  • (f) Displaying or dissemination of buttons, hats, pencils, pens, shirts, signs, or stickers containing electioneering information; and
  • (g) Disseminating audible electioneering information.

“Without limitation” means there could be other inclusions, however, it is unclear how “exit polling,” the process of surveying voters as they leave a polling place after voting, could constitute “electioneering.”

In fact, former Attorney General Mike Beebe issued an opinion stating that, “Exit polling does not involve the distribution of ‘campaign literature,’ or the solicitation of signatures or contributions for charitable or other purposes. In addition, in my opinion the conduct of exit polling cannot reasonably be categorized as ‘electioneering.’”

Text discussing the definition of electioneering and its distinction from exit polling activities in the context of electoral regulations.

Col. Reynolds published the following press release with a statement to X:

Many prominent voices in the GOP and the election integrity movement have expressed concern about the charges levied against Col. Reynolds and the perception of lawfare under a Republican administration in Arkansas.



Read the full article here

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