Arkansas: State Legislator guilty of election fraud | City Wire

State Rep. Hudson Hallum (D-Marion) today resigned his House seat and withdrew as a candidate in the 2012 election after entering a guilty plea on a federal charge related to his 2011 special election. Hudson, 29, was mired in some controversy after winning a high number of absentee ballots in his 2011 special election race. In February 2012, Talk Business blogger Jason Tolbert reported that the FBI had subpoenaed election officials from Crittenden County to appear before a grand jury. At the time, Hallum said he had no knowledge of the investigation. Hallum’s resignation from the House District 54 seat coincided with an appearance today in U.S. District Court where he entered a plea of guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit election fraud. His father, Kent Hallum, West Memphis City Council member Phillip Carter, and Crittenden County quorum court member Sam Malone also plead guilty to charges.

Arkansas: East Arkansas holds special election for House seat | NewsTimes

Voters head to the polls in east Arkansas in a special election for a House seat vacated by a former Harlem Globetrotter.

Voters were expected to cast their ballots Tuesday to choose a new representative in state House district 54 to replace former Rep. Fred Smith. The Democratic lawmaker resigned from his Crittenden County seat in January after he was convicted of felony theft.