A judge will soon decide if a central Arkansas community will have House representation in the coming fiscal session. Little Rock Public Radio’s Josie Lenora has the details.
House District 70’s legislative seat is empty after Republican Representative Carlton Wing left to lead Arkansas PBS. House District 70 covers tens of thousands of voters in North Little Rock and Pulaski County.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders set the special election to fill his post for June 2026. This means District 70 would not have representation for the 2026 fiscal budget session.
At a hearing Tuesday, residents said the delayed election amounts to taxation without representation. They want a new elected representative before the start of the session in April.
State law requires elections to be held within 150 days of a vacancy unless it’s, quote, “impracticable or unduly burdensome.” The state’s lawyers say the 150-day timeline is clearly impracticable or even impossible.
Pulaski County election employees testified the tighter timeline would be difficult, but also doable. Some officials worried deadlines for provisional ballots may be missed.
Circuit Court Judge Shawn Johnson says he hopes to rule on the case soon. A judge ruled last week against the governor in a similar case involving a northwest Arkansas vacancy. In that case, Pulaski County Judge Patricia James said going through a fiscal session without representation would, quote, “unconstitutionally impair District residents.”
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