Susan Inman announced today as a Democratic candidate for secretary of state, a race she lost in 2014 against incumbent Republican Secretary of State Mark Martin, who is term limited this year.

Two Republicans, state Rep. Trevor Drown and Land Commissioner John Thurston, and a Democrat, Anthony Bland of Little Rock, have already announced.

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Inman brings direct experience to the job, which has election oversight as a primary duty. She was director of elections under Secretary of State Sharon Priest and was Pulaski County election director for 13 years. Her prepared statement:

“Protecting Arkansans’ voting rights will be my top priority as Secretary of State, and I’ll fight any attempt to restrict our right to vote,” Inman said. “Voter suppression is a real threat and our next Secretary of State must be ready to fight any efforts to make it harder to vote. I’m the only candidate with a record of overseeing elections and protecting voting rights. I’ll put that experience to work for Arkansans as their next Secretary of State.”

Her 25 years of state and county work include work in the circuit clerk’s office and as an election commissioner on the county and state level. She’s an active Democrat and also made an unsuccessful race for state House against Republican Rep. Jim Sorvillo.

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She’s served as an election monitor in foreign countries for the State Department.

“I’ve seen first-hand how other nations attempt to restrict voting rights.” Inman said, “For our democracy to continue to thrive we must have more people voting, not less. As Secretary of State I’ll work to implement new policies to increase voter participation, such as allowing for automatic registration, expanding the use of voting by mail and increasing polling access for voters with disabilities.” 

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