Judge orders early voting in West Memphis after election commissioner refuses to allow it

WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. (WMC) – In a court hearing last week, Frank Barton, chairman of the Crittenden County Board of Election Commissioners, testified that he has no intention of holding early voting in West Memphis.

The voting dilemma began back in September, when West Memphis locals Shirley Brown and Lavonda said no early voting location had been selected in the county’s largest city.

Commissioners were unable to agree on First Baptist Church, which previously served as a site for early voting in 2022.

The two women decided to hire attorney Jennifer Standerfer, who filed a lawsuit over missing locations.

“We rarely see a situation where the commissioner uses his authority to refuse to call a meeting or refuse to vote on something he knows would be approved,” Standerfer said.

That commissioner was Frank Barton; During the lawsuit, he testified and said, “He had no intention of holding early voting in West Memphis,” and when the judge asked why, Standefer said Barton had a simple answer:

“The only explanation we received from Mr. Barton was that he did not do that,” Standefer said.

Now there was an approved polling station in the county seat of Marion, but none in the county’s largest city.

Standefer stressed that even though a site was chosen, the commissioners hadn’t done enough and that it was their job to side with voters.

“You know, the Arkansas Constitution says elections shall be free and equal, and that means if we vote for one half of the county, let’s do the same for the other half, we have election commissioners who will abide by that “It seems local and personal.” This time politics got in the way,” Standefer said.

Early voting begins Oct. 21 at Seventh Street Baptist Church in West Memphis.

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