Court approves full-time election coordinator; county clarifies statutory reporting and operational oversight

The Faulkner County Quorum Court approved Ordinance 25-26 to set the compensation and change the election coordinator position (position 1001) from part time to full time.

Discussion centered on statutory reporting and operational responsibility. Justice Lawsky and County Administrator Randy Higgins explained that, by statute, the election coordinator is an employee of the county judge but the position has traditionally been titled to the county clerk for the administration of elections. Randy Higgins and other officials recounted a past disagreement years ago that was resolved by defining the roles and said the arrangement has worked well since then. The court heard that the county's previous election coordinator, Margaret Darter, had left for a state position and that the clerk's office provided documentation showing that full-time compensation for the position is comparable to other class 6 counties.

Supporters said a full-time coordinator is necessary to properly administer elections and to perform ongoing, non-election work such as polling-site inspections, quarterly generator tests and coordination with facilities and grounds staff on equipment and site readiness. The judge and several justices praised the county clerk's performance and said the position should be resourced to maintain current election administration standards.

Why it matters: Election administration staffing affects the county's ability to run special and regular elections, maintain equipment readiness, and coordinate poll-site logistics; converting the coordinator to full time aligns Faulkner County with comparably sized counties and ensures capacity for upcoming election work.

What the court decided: The court voted to approve Ordinance 25-26 and the measure passed by roll call at the meeting.

Provenance: The ordinance reading and extended discussion appear in the transcript (see provenance).