No individual in Benton County has been purged due to a deficient voter registration form. If you have been told by anyone that you have been purged because of a deficient voter registration form, contact our office immediately at the following email address.
Because the voter registration deficiencies found in Benton County have created much debate, the Division of Elections wanted to make you aware of the unprecedented efforts election officials have taken to ensure integrity and fairness in the election process.
Background
Mark Ward, the recently appointed Administrator of Elections in Benton County, while performing his duties, discovered that many of the voter registration applications on file were deficient. Many applications lacked critical information such as the voter’s signature, citizenship verification and felon information. Without this critical information, someone who is not a United States citizen or a convicted felon could have cast a vote illegally.
Correcting The Deficiencies In Benton County
- A letter was sent to all individuals who had a deficient voter registration form on file. Included with the letter was a copy of the deficient form and another form which the individual could easily mail in to correct the deficiency. The majority of the individuals who received the deficiency notices have corrected their deficiencies.
- A second letter was sent to individuals who received a deficiency notice that provided further guidance as to how to correct a deficiency.
- Community voter outreach sessions have been held in order to help individuals correct their forms.
- Election officials have worked closely with various media outlets to spread the word about how to correct deficient registrations.
- According to the Benton County Administrator, not a single person has been purged in Benton County due to a deficient voter registration form.
Restoring Faith In Benton County Elections
In December 2009, Mark Ward, Benton County’s administrator of elections, wrote to local investigative authorities and informed them of several alleged problems he discovered when he became the administrator. Some of the alleged problems included allegations of ineligible voters not being purged, potential falsification of time sheets, voter registration files not filed in alphabetical order as required by state law, individuals voting in the wrong district, numerous deficient voter registration forms, pornographic material found on a computer disc and discovery of a deceased person’s voting record showing that the decedent had voted a ballot.