The latest legal test over state Republicans’ efforts to enact new identification requirements for voting is pushing up against soon-approaching deadlines for the May 22 elections, prompting Secretary of State Mark Martin’s office to ask the courts to hurry up. The top attorney for the secretary of state’s office, A.J. Kelly, filed a petition with the Arkansas Supreme Court late Thursday that asks justices to force a Pulaski County circuit judge to issue an order on an injunction request by next Friday. That is the deadline for the office to mail ballots to military members and overseas voters. Kelly also issued a letter to the circuit judge, Alice Gray, reminding her of the deadline and asking her to rule before it occurs. Gray responded with a letter to Kelly, imploring patience of Martin and his attorneys.
But in her reply, Gray also wrote that Martin’s office had failed to request a hearing in the lawsuit before March 12, and even had objected to holding an expedited hearing on that date. Gray also said she canceled her vacation in late March to dig through more than 1,000 pages of records submitted in the case.
“Rest assured that the Court is working diligently to analyze this matter and reach a decision,” Gray wrote in the letter to Kelly. “The Court expects to issue its decision several days before April 6, 2018.”
A spokesman for the secretary of state’s office declined to comment on Gray’s letter. Kelly did not return a request for comment.
Full Article: State wants speedup of ruling on voter IDs.