As we’d expected in an earlier report, the Pulaski County Republican Committee last night elected officers and filled two seats on the three-member Pulaski County Election Commission.

Kristi Stahr, an employee in the Arkansas Department of Transformation and Shared Services, was re-elected to the Commission. David Scott, a lawyer in the Revenue Division of the Department of Finance and Administration, was newly elected to a seat that had been held by Election Commission Chair Evelyn Gomez, an Arkansas Parole Board employee.

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Gomez moved up in the county Republican pecking order with election as second vice-chair. Gomez was honored, a newsletter said.

At its January Monthly meeting, the Pulaski County Republican Committee honored former Pulaski County Election Commission Chair Evelyn Gomez for her efforts during the previous election cycle in the face of tremendous opposition of Pulaski County Judge Barry Hyde and county employees under his direction.

We thank her for working to ensure that county election staff followed state law and for the transparency of the Commission during the controversial post-election ballot counting efforts.

Gomez was a combative chair and shoved a commission employee at one point, prompting a police report. She bridled at the inconvenient fact of law that the county government, led by a Democrat, funds the agency, including paying commissioners and controls the staff. A grassroots voter participation group had criticized Gomez for decisions that disqualified absentee ballots for minor issues, some contrary to law according to a complaint filed with the state Board of Election Commissioners. Republicans have their own complaint pending against Bryan Poe, leader of the commission staff, for mistakes made during an election process made chaotic by an unprecedented flood of absentee ballots due to the pandemic. Gomez and Stahr voted to prevent Poe from working on future elections while he was on paternity leave and without giving particulars for the action. It’s unknown if the new membership might attempt to smooth commission waters or continue the assault on staff.

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The county GOP committee has said it hopes to take control of the county government from Democrats in the 2022 election. A former Republican member of the Election Commission, Jason Davis, has said taking control of the commission staff is an extension of that plan.

The three-member Election Commission will elect a new chair at its next meeting with the two Republicans likely agreeing on who that should be. Joshua Price is the Democratic member and he has no opposition in his bid for re-election.

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