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Campaign finance agencies in Arkansas
In Arkansas, there are two primary agencies involved in statewide campaign finance regulation: the Arkansas Ethics Commission and the Arkansas Secretary of State. The former serves as "the compliance and enforcement agency" for the state's disclosure laws, which apply to candidates, political committees, public officials, and loybbists. The latter serves as the reporting agency for candidates and political committees.[1][2]
Arkansas Ethics Commission
Authority
Established in 1991, the Arkansas Ethics Commission serves as "the compliance and enforcement agency under Arkansas' standards of conduct and disclosure laws concerning candidates for public office, state and local public officials, lobbyists and committees, and individuals involved with initiatives, referendums and other matters referred to the voters."[1] The commission may issue advisory opinions "interpreting the ethics laws assigned to its jurisdiction."[1] In addition, the commission is authorized to investigate alleged violations of the state's campaign finance and ethics laws. The commission may also issue "disciplinary action for violations of the law" or refer "its findings to a prosecuting attorney for criminal proceedings."[1]
Organization
The Arkansas Ethics Commission comprises five members who serve staggered five-year terms. Members are appointed by the following public officials:[1]
- Governor
- Lieutenant governor
- Attorney general
- President pro tempore of the Arkansas State Senate
- Speaker of the Arkansas State Senate
Arkansas Secretary of State
- See also: Arkansas Secretary of State
Authority
The secretary of state is the chief elections official in Arkansas. In that capacity, the secretary of state oversees campaign finance report filing processes. The Elections Division, which administers day-to-day processes, is led by a division director.[3][4]
Electronic reporting system
Candidates and political committees file campaign finance disclosure reports electronically through an online reporting system maintained by the Elections Division. The filing system can be accessed here. Financial disclosure reports are accessible here.[5]
Contact information
Arkansas Ethics Commission
- 501 Woodlane St., Suite 301N
- Little Rock, AR 72201
- Telephone: 501-324-9600
Arkansas Secretary of State, Elections Division
- State Capitol, Suite 256
- 500 Woodlane St.
- Little Rock, AR 72201
- Telephone: 501-682-5070
- Email: electionsemail@sos.arkansas.gov
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Campaign finance Arkansas. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
- Arkansas Ethics Commission
- Arkansas Secretary of State, Elections Division
- Arkansas Financial Disclosure System
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Arkansas Ethics Commission, "About the Commission," accessed July 28, 2015
- ↑ NCSL, "Campaign Finance Enforcement," October 15, 2020
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Duties of the Office," accessed June 17, 2025
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Directors," accessed June 17, 2025
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Welcome to the Arkansas Public Disclosure and Filing Portal," accessed June 17, 2025
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