Video leads to election-law charges against two in Independence County

Col. Conrad Reynolds

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin has obtained misdemeanor warrants against Col. Conrad Reynolds and Dustin Black, accusing them of violating the state’s election law by conducting exit polling too close to a polling site, according to a news release from Griffin’s office.

The case was referred to Griffin’s office by the State Board of Election Commissioners after a local election official reported complaints, Griffin said. Career law enforcement officers investigated “solely based on the facts,” and charges were filed by Senior Assistant Attorney General Jeanna Sherrill, who was appointed as a special prosecutor by a circuit court.

Griffin cited video evidence showing both men conducting exit polling roughly 30 feet from a polling place — a violation of Arkansas Code § 7-1-103, which prohibits electioneering within 100 feet of a polling entrance or with voters standing in line.

NEA Report, which first published details of the case, said the incident took place in Independence County, where local election officials received voter complaints.

Reynolds, a conservative radio host and election-reform advocate, told NEA Report the charges amount to “lawfare” and accused Griffin of trying to silence the “paper ballot movement.” His attorney, Chris Corbitt of Conway, told the outlet that Reynolds is being punished for political activism, not criminal conduct.

Class A misdemeanors in Arkansas carry penalties of up to one year in jail and fines of up to $2,500. Reynolds is expected to be booked at the Independence County Courthouse in Batesville.

Click here to read the affidavits.