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Election officials in Saline County and several other counties are scheduled to recount ballots by hand for the Secretary of State race. Arkansas Secretary of State candidate Bryan Norris formally requested a recount in one of the closest statewide races in recent years. Read more below.
In the March 31st Republican primary runoff, State Sen. Kim Hammer defeated Norris by fewer than 1,000 votes statewide. In Saline County, unofficial results show a 2,000 vote difference. Hammer received 4,474 votes (64.87%) while Norris received 2,423 votes (35.13%). Norris filed a petition with Saline County, asking officials to recount all ballots in the race across every precinct.
Saline County officials said in a statement April 3rd, they will conduct the recount entirely by hand, rather than relying on voting machines. The Saline County Board of Election Commissioners, working with the County Clerk’s Office and poll workers, are scheduled to manually review the ballots on Tuesday, April 7th. This will begin at 9:00 a.m. at the “Vote Here” building in downtown Benton. Workers will verify duplicated ballots and manually compile totals as required by Arkansas law.
The recount will be open to the public and members of the media. However, space is limited. The process will also be live-streamed at www.youtube.com/@salinecounty.
State law allows candidates to request recounts by county, but requires the requesting candidate to cover the cost, unless the results change. In Saline County, officials estimate the recount will cost about $1,017, which falls below the legal cap. The statement from the County includes the cost calculations and cap:
Pursuant to Ark. Code § 7-5-319(g)–(h), the candidate requesting a recount is required to bear the cost of the recount, with payment made in an amount determined by the county board based on actual costs incurred. However, the total cost shall not exceed twenty-five cents (25¢) per vote cast in the precincts where the recount is requested or $2,500 for the entire county, whichever is less.
Based on the number of ballots cast in Saline County, the maximum allowable cost under state law is $1,724.25. The actual projected cost to conduct the recount—including staffing and operational expenses—is estimated at $1,017, which is the amount that will be assessed.
The recount comes as Norris continues to push for greater use of hand-counted paper ballots. However, Saline County officials point to recent audit results to support confidence in their current system.
In June 2024, the Arkansas State Board of Election Commissioners audited the Saline County primary election. Auditors hand counted 5,320 ballots—about 29% of all votes cast—and found the machine tabulation matched the hand count with 100% accuracy.
County officials said the recount reflects the legal process available in close races, not any identified problem. They also noted that staff test voting machines before every election in public logic and accuracy tests.
Norris’ campaign has filed recount requests in multiple Arkansas counties. Each county must handle its own recount under state law.
In Baxter County, election officials denied a request from the Norris campaign to reschedule its recount. Norris stated the reason for the request was due to the process falling on Good Friday. The Baxter County Election Commission instead proceeded with its recount during the already scheduled meeting. It began Friday, April 3rd at 1:00 p.m.
The statewide race remains unofficial while recounts continue. If results do not change, Hammer will advance as the Republican nominee for Secretary of State in the November general election.
Election officials say the recount process—combined with machine tabulation, testing, and audits—provides multiple layers of verification for Arkansas elections.
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