HB1064
To Amend The Law Concerning Absentee Voting; And To Allow Persons Over Sixty-five Years Of Age To Vote By Absentee Ballot.
AI-Generated Summary
This bill proposes amendments to Arkansas law regarding absentee voting. Primarily, it seeks to expand eligibility for absentee ballots to include individuals who are over sixty-five (65) years of age on election day. Currently, absentee voting is permitted for those who will be unavoidably absent from their polling place, unable to attend due to illness or physical disability, or prevented from voting by religious observance. The bill also makes changes to how absentee ballot applications are processed for those over sixty-five. Applications from this age group would remain valid for one calendar year, and county clerks would be required to mail ballots to them annually. The justifications for requesting an absentee ballot are updated to include being over sixty-five years of age. Additionally, persons over sixty-five years of age are added to the category of individuals for whom the Secretary of State may prescribe separate absentee ballot application forms valid for one calendar year. This legislation aims to provide more convenient voting options for older citizens.
Potential Impact Analysis
Who Might Benefit?
The primary beneficiaries of this bill would be individuals in Arkansas who are sixty-five years of age or older. By expanding the eligibility criteria for absentee voting, these citizens would gain a more convenient method to cast their ballots without needing to meet specific absence, disability, or religious observance requirements on election day. The provision for a one-year validity of absentee ballot applications for this age group would further simplify the process, reducing the need for annual reapplication and potentially increasing voter participation among seniors. This could also indirectly benefit organizations and campaigns that focus on engaging senior voters.
Who Might Suffer?
This bill is not designed to directly negatively impact any specific group or entity. However, any changes to voting procedures, including the expansion of absentee voting, can potentially introduce administrative complexities for election officials responsible for processing and verifying absentee ballots. Increased numbers of absentee ballots might necessitate additional resources for county clerks and election boards to manage mailings, tracking, and verification processes. There could also be broader societal discussions or concerns regarding election security and the potential for increased absentee voting to be perceived as a vulnerability by those who advocate for stricter in-person voting requirements, although the bill itself does not propose changes that inherently create such vulnerabilities.