Arkansas § 7-5-101 - Precinct boundaries, polling sites, and vote centers — Establishment and alteration.

§ 7-5-101. Precinct boundaries, polling sites, and vote centers — Establishment and alteration.

The county board of election commissioners shall: Establish election precincts; and Designate a polling site for each precinct. A polling site may serve two (2) or more precincts, including parts of precincts. Except as provided in § 6-14-106, the designation of polling sites shall be by a unanimous vote of the members of the county board of election commissioners present. The county board of election commissioners by order may alter the boundaries of existing election precincts and establish new ones. A precinct shall not be altered and a new precinct shall not be created less than sixty (60) days before an election except in the event of an emergency as determined by unanimous vote of the county board of election commissioners. Except as provided in subdivision (b)(3)(B) of this section, if more than three thousand (3,000) voters are registered in a precinct, the county board of election commissioners shall redistrict the precinct at least one hundred twenty (120) days before the election. If the number of registered voters in the precinct exceeds three thousand (3,000) registered voters during or after the one hundred twenty (120) days before an election, the county board of election commissioners shall redistrict the precinct at least one hundred twenty (120) days before the next election. An order to alter the boundaries of any precinct or establish any new one shall not be effective until it has been filed with the county clerk. The order shall contain: A written description of the boundaries of the precinct; A printed map of the boundaries of the precincts altered or established; and A digital map detailing the precinct boundaries altered or established in a format prescribed by the Arkansas Geographic Information Systems Office. Within thirty (30) days after the boundaries of an election precinct are altered or a new election precinct is established, the county clerk shall submit written, printed, and digital copies of the map and boundaries required under subdivision (b)(4) of this section to the: Secretary of State; and Arkansas Geographic Information Systems Office. Upon receipt of the changes, the Secretary of State immediately shall forward a copy to the: Office of the Attorney General; Census State Data Center; Geographic Information Systems and Mapping Section of the Transportation Planning and Policy Division of the Arkansas Department of Transportation; and Arkansas Geographic Information Systems Office. The Secretary of State may: Designate each precinct in the state with a unique alphanumeric description that clearly references: The precinct designation assigned by the county board of election commissioners; and The county in which the precinct exists; Create a map of the State of Arkansas that is divided by precinct; and Display the map with the alphanumeric precinct designations on the Secretary of State's internet website. Except for school elections under § 6-14-106, the polling sites for each election shall be the same as those established for the immediately preceding general election unless changed by order of the county board of election commissioners. The county board of election commissioners shall not change a polling site for any precinct less than thirty (30) days before an election, except in the event of an emergency. Notice of a change made in a polling site shall be provided by posting information at the polling site used in the last election and by the county clerk mailing notice to affected registered voters at least fifteen (15) days before the election unless: The election is a school election; The election is a special election; or The change in polling sites is due to an emergency arising less than fifteen (15) days before the election. If the change in polling site occurs in a school election, special election, or due to an emergency arising less than fifteen (15) days before the election, notice of a change made in the polling site shall be provided by posting information at the polling site used in the last election. Before establishing one (1) or more vote centers in the county under § 7-1-113, the county clerk shall certify to the Secretary of State and the county quorum court that the county has a secure electronic connection sufficient to prevent: An elector from voting more than once; and Unauthorized access to a computerized registration book maintained by the county clerk. If the county clerk has certified to the county quorum court a determination of sufficiency under subdivision (e)(1)(A) of this section, the county may adopt an ordinance to establish vote centers for elections. The ordinance: Shall be filed with the county clerk, the county board of election commissioners, and the Secretary of State; and Is effective when it is filed with the county clerk, the county board of election commissioners, and the Secretary of State. Except for school elections under § 6-14-106, a vote center location for each election shall be the same as that established for the immediately preceding general election unless changed by order of the county clerk or county board of election commissioners. The county clerk or county board of election commissioners shall not change a vote center location for any precinct less than thirty (30) days before an election except in the event of an emergency. Notice of a change made to a vote center location shall be posted at the vote center location used in the last election, and except for school elections and special elections, the notice shall be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the county at least fifteen (15) days before the election.