Norris election challenge headed to trial later this month

   
Credit: Arkansas Secretary of State

Arkansas secretary of state candidate Bryan Norris is continuing his challenge of the Republican runoff election results against Kim Hammer with a trial scheduled later this month.

Hammer narrowly defeated Norris in the March 3 Republican runoff election by fewer than 1,000 votes and remains the presumptive Republican nominee for secretary of state.

Following the election, Norris requested multiple recounts, including one in Saline County. Officials said the recount showed no change in the outcome, but Norris later raised concerns about how the recount was conducted and whether Arkansas election laws were followed.

According to court filings, Norris’ lawsuit alleges his campaign representative was not allowed to properly observe the recount process and claims ballot boxes were not correctly sealed and chain-of-custody procedures were violated.

An initial lawsuit filed in early April was dismissed due to a filing error before being refiled April 27.

Court documents show the case is scheduled for a bench trial May 29 in Pulaski County. The lawsuit asks the court to declare the election results null and void.

In a statement, Norris said the legal challenge is focused on election procedures and compliance with state law rather than dissatisfaction with the election outcome.

Hammer previously responded by urging Norris to concede, saying recounts across the six counties involved matched the original election night totals and showed no irregularities.