The upcoming Nov. 2 elections have prompted an unprecedented number of new voter registration applications from convicted felons, according to employees of the Mississippi County Clerk's office.
In Arkansas, it is legal for convicted felons to regain their voting rights if they are no longer under a supervisory period, and do not owe certain fees, such as court-ordered restitutions. When convicted felons' name are entered into the voter registration system at the county clerk's office, they are flagged as a felon and their application is temporarily removed into a holding file. A letter is then sent to the applicants, requesting proof of discharge from their parole officer or another valid source, such as a pardon from the governor. If this paperwork is presented, the applicants are then re-entered into the system and are eligible to vote.
The large number of convicted felons who have applied this election season is now opening up a new question to county officials -- what to do with the paperwork of the many applicants who never come back into the office with proof of discharge. Currently, these applications are placed in a file at the County Clerk's office, and those responsible for them are never registered to vote.
It can, however, be considered perjury to falsify a Voter Registration Application form, by claiming to be discharged or pardoned from a felony conviction when that is not the actual case. Because the possibility of this perjury taking place is a relatively new circumstance for county officials, no apparent attempts to follow up on the intentions of these non-registered applicants are currently being made.
According to Micheal Walden, head prosecuting attorney for the area, this type of perjury could be considered a Class-C felony under certain circumstances. While unsure of the protocol needed to follow up on the possibility of falsified applications, Walden did express hopes that if it came to their attention that large numbers of voter applications were being falsified, county officials would make the necessary reports to law enforcement.
Employees of the County Clerk's office said that they have received no instruction from Secretary of State officials to create any kind of follow up-procedure for rejected voter application forms, regardless of the reason for rejection.
Voter registration is definitely up this year, be it from convicted felons or other disenfranchised voters of the past. In 2006, the year of Blytheville's last mayoral election, 1,070 new voters registered prior to Election Day. This year, as of Oct. 8, there were 1,154. In 2009, which was not a major election year, only 364 new voters were registered.
sharris@blythevillecourier.com