Panel questions AG office plan for civil 'election integrity' enforcement unit

House Bill 1513 would create an election integrity unit within the attorney general's office and authorize a civil cause of action tied to existing criminal election statutes, according to Alex Benton with the attorney general's office.

Benton said the bill does not change prosecutors' original criminal jurisdiction but adds a civil enforcement path that could seek fines, injunctions or declaratory relief. Senators asked whether the civil penalty framework (including a threshold of at least $1,000 in one subsection) could create classification issues that inadvertently turn civil penalties into unclassified misdemeanors and reintroduce original-jurisdiction concerns.

Rebecca Zimmerman of Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families testified against the bill, arguing that election crimes are rare and current law allows prosecution and that the new unit would further restrict access to voting and undermine public confidence. Committee members asked for prosecutors' views before advancing the measure. The transcript records that the bill did not pass the committee.