Ark. Code Ann. § 7-5-806

This is the official text of Ark. Code Ann. § 7-5-806, part of Arkansas’s Code Ann — part of the compiled statutory law of Arkansas, published by the state as "Code Ann." Browse the sections below, each linked to its official government source.

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Contest of state constitutional executive offices

Official statutory text

(a) All contested general elections of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Treasurer of State, Auditor of State, and Attorney General, except as provided in this section, shall be decided by the joint vote of both houses of the General Assembly, and in that joint meeting the President of the Senate shall preside. (b) If, following any general election, any person contests any election covered by this section, he or she shall present his or her petition to the General Assembly, setting forth the points on which he or she will contest the election and the facts which he or she will prove in support of the points, and he or she shall pray for leave to introduce his or her proofs. (c) A vote shall be taken by yeas and nays in each house as to whether the prayers shall be granted. (d) If a majority of the whole number of votes of both houses shall be in the affirmative, they shall appoint a joint committee to take testimony on the part of the petitioner and also on the part of the person whose place is contested. The committee shall have power to send for witnesses and to issue warrants under the hand of the chair to any judge or justice of the peace to take the deposition of witnesses at such time and place as the warrant shall direct. The points to which the testimony is to be taken shall be set forth in the warrants. (e) Reasonable notice shall be given by the party in whose favor depositions shall be allowed to be taken to the opposite party of the time and place of taking the depositions. The judge or justice shall proceed in all things, in the attendance of witnesses and in taking and certifying the testimony, as is directed in the preceding section. (f) The party shall also be allowed to attend the examination of witnesses before the committee and to cross-examine them, but no testimony shall be taken except in relation to the points set forth in the petition. (g) The committee shall report the facts to the two (2) houses, and the day shall be fixed by a joint resolution for the meeting of the two (2) houses to decide the contest, on which decision the yeas and nays shall be taken and entered on the journal of each house. Acts 1969, No. 465, Art. 10, § 9; A.S.A. 1947, § 3-1009; Acts 1993, No. 512, § 6.

(a) All contested general elections of Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Secretary of State, Treasurer of State, Auditor of State, and Attorney General, except as provided in this section, shall be decided by the joint vote of both houses of the General Assembly, and in that joint meeting the President of the Senate shall preside.

(b) If, following any general election, any person contests any election covered by this section, he or she shall present his or her petition to the General Assembly, setting forth the points on which he or she will contest the election and the facts which he or she will prove in support of the points, and he or she shall pray for leave to introduce his or her proofs.

(c) A vote shall be taken by yeas and nays in each house as to whether the prayers shall be granted.

(d) If a majority of the whole number of votes of both houses shall be in the affirmative, they shall appoint a joint committee to take testimony on the part of the petitioner and also on the part of the person whose place is contested. The committee shall have power to send for witnesses and to issue warrants under the hand of the chair to any judge or justice of the peace to take the deposition of witnesses at such time and place as the warrant shall direct. The points to which the testimony is to be taken shall be set forth in the warrants.

(e) Reasonable notice shall be given by the party in whose favor depositions shall be allowed to be taken to the opposite party of the time and place of taking the depositions. The judge or justice shall proceed in all things, in the attendance of witnesses and in taking and certifying the testimony, as is directed in the preceding section.
imony is to be taken shall be set forth in the warrants.

(e) Reasonable notice shall be given by the party in whose favor depositions shall be allowed to be taken to the opposite party of the time and place of taking the depositions. The judge or justice shall proceed in all things, in the attendance of witnesses and in taking and certifying the testimony, as is directed in the preceding section.

(f) The party shall also be allowed to attend the examination of witnesses before the committee and to cross-examine them, but no testimony shall be taken except in relation to the points set forth in the petition.

(g) The committee shall report the facts to the two (2) houses, and the day shall be fixed by a joint resolution for the meeting of the two (2) houses to decide the contest, on which decision the yeas and nays shall be taken and entered on the journal of each house.

Acts 1969, No. 465, Art. 10, § 9; A.S.A. 1947, § 3-1009; Acts 1993, No. 512, § 6.

Status: in_force

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About this page: Statute text is reproduced from official government publishers via the Open US Law dataset (Vaquill AI, snapshot v2026.08, CC BY 4.0). Primary legislative text like this is public domain under the government-edicts doctrine (Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org, 2020). We link every section back to its official source so you can verify it independently.