The Arkansas Supreme Court has issued a major ruling on early voting in the state.
The top court ordered election officials to hold early voting at two churches in West Memphis, in a victory for the city's mayor and self-described voting rights advocates.
The dispute pitted a pair of residents and the mayor of West Memphis against the Crittenden County Board of Election Commissioners, which voted against having early voting in the city.
The board voted to allow early voting in the city of Marion instead, but a lower court judge ordered officials to hold early voting at the Seventh Street Church of Christ in West Memphis, the biggest city in the county. A lone Democrat on the board voted in favor of early voting at the church.
The state's Republican attorney general, Tim Griffin, joined the board's appeal to the top court. Griffin accused County Clerk Paula Brown of stepping on the elections board, but mayor Marco McClendon says it's a black-and-white issue of voter access.
“This is a major victory for our city, ensuring greater access to voting for our community,” McClendon said in a statement.
The top court upheld a ruling from Circuit Judge Chris Thyer which held that Brown had the authority to designate Seventh Street Church of Christ as an early voting location.
The court reversed part of Thyer's ruling that said the board did not have to hold early voting at the First Baptist Church.
The Supreme Court differed, ruling the board must continue to allow early voting at First Baptist because the site was already established in 2022, and the board did not vote to change it.
The ruling came down before early voting began on October 21.
“I’m just thrilled that we got a fair and reasonable decision and that the court followed the law and that the voters in West Memphis are the ones who are going to benefit from it,” said Attorney Jennifer Standerfer, who represented two West Memphis voters in the case.
Early voting is underway in states all across the country, as polls show President Trump tied with Kamala Harris in the presidential race. Arkansas is not considered competitive, as the state has consistently for Republican presidents for decades.
A protracted post-election legal battle is possible, although some predict a more decisive result as soon as Election Night.
