Arkansas Ranks #1 for Election Integrity

Up from #8 in the Heritage Foundation’s nationwide ranking

LITTLE ROCK, AR - Arkansas now ranks #1 in the nation for election integrity according to the Heritage Foundation’s Election Integrity Scorecard. The State ranked #8 at the beginning of the year and rose in the ranks after a successful session in which Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders prioritized safe and secure elections for Arkansas voters.
 
“My goal this session was simple: make it easy to vote and hard to cheat,” said Governor Sanders. “I was proud to work with my friend, Secretary of State Cole Jester, to make Arkansas ballot boxes the safest and most secure in America and end petition fraud to protect our Constitution. Today’s announcement shows that all our hard work paid off.” 
 
“As Secretary of State, I have said from day one we would have the most secure elections in the country. I’m proud of the work my team has completed implementing new procedures and technology. None of this would be possible without the great work of Governor Sanders and the men and women of the Arkansas legislature,” said Secretary of State Cole Jester.
 
“Heritage has long been the gold standard for ranking states for election integrity and security,” said Senator Kim Hammer (District 16). “Legislators, Governor Sanders, and Secretary of State Cole Jester have worked together as a team, on behalf of Arkansans, to help achieve the number one ranking in election integrity and security in the nation! We must continue our work to protect our number one ranking from those who want to take us backwards. Arkansans can feel confident that our elections are secure. Let’s work together to maintain this ranking.”
 
“Arkansas should never sacrifice election integrity for convenience,” said Senator John Payton (District 22). “We must fulfill our responsibility to get it right. I believe the commonsense changes made this year are true to these principles.”
 
“Arkansas’ rise to #1 in the nation for election security is a significant achievement and a clear reflection of the strong conservative leadership and very intentional work done by the legislature,” said Senator Matt McKee (District 6). “The foundation of America’s constitutional republic relies on our ability to hold free and fair elections. While others work to undermine our republic, Arkansas has fought back to set a national example for how states can secure the electoral process and hold elections the people can trust.” 
 
“There can be no doubt — we take election integrity seriously in Arkansas,” said Rep. David Ray (District 69). “It should be easy to vote and hard to cheat, and this new ranking is a testament to the hard work that we’ve done the past few years to fortify our election laws.” 
  
“The Presidential elections of 2016 and 2020 showed both parties can challenge results,” said Rep. Carlton Wing (District 38). “The Legislature and Secretary of State’s office worked hard to pass laws to restore confidence in the electoral process. Arkansas now leads the nation in assuring our citizens that all legal votes must be counted and only legal votes should count. Today’s announcement demonstrates our efforts are setting a national standard in election integrity.”
 
“In recognizing the dedication of the Republican-led legislature, the Heritage Foundation has propelled Arkansas to the pinnacle of election security rankings, from #8 to #1 in the nation,” said Rep. Howard Beaty (District 95). “As Arkansas House Majority Leader, I take pride in these outstanding results, reflecting our unwavering commitment to safeguarding the democratic process.”
 
“Protecting the integrity of our elections starts long before ballots are cast,” said Rep. Kendon Underwood (District 16). “By strengthening safeguards in the petition process and cracking down on fraud and abuse, we’ve sent a clear message: every step in our democratic process must be uncompromised and trustworthy. Arkansas now stands as the national leader in election integrity because the security of our elections is a responsibility we take seriously every day.”
 
Governor Sanders’ accomplishments in this legislative session include Act 240, Act 241, and Act 218, which strengthened protections on Arkansas’ ballot amendment process so that bad actors cannot influence and change the Natural State’s Constitution. The Governor also signed Act 998 and Act 999 to protect Arkansas elections from hostile foreign adversaries like China, Russia, Iran, or North Korea and ban foreign entities from funding state and local ballot measures.
 
Additionally, Governor Sanders is fully in support of the Citizens Only Voting Amendment, which will appear in front of voters next election and mandate that only U.S. citizens can vote in Arkansas elections.
 
The Natural State received perfect scores on Voter ID Implementation, Access of Election Observers, Verification of Citizenship, Identification for Voter Assistance, Vote County Practices, Restrictions on Same-day Registration, Restrictions on Automatic Registration, Restrictions on Private Funding of Election Officials or Government Agencies, and Restrictions on Ranked Choice Voting.