State Senator Kim Hammer, (R) of Benton, filed a bill this month, that would reduce voting hours during the last couple of days of early voting in an election.
If passed, Senate Bill 485, would reduce voting hours on the final Saturday during early voting from the current 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to end one hour earlier at 4 p.m., and eliminate the final Monday of early voting.
Hammer stated that the reason for this bill is so there will be time between the last day of early voting and election day for officials to look at the integrity of the process. “When it comes to election integrity, we need to have a pause button for protecting votes. We also need to make sure we don’t use the system to cancel out other people’s votes.”
When asked what he would say to people who see this bill as a potential to suppress votes, Hammer stated, “This is not suppressing votes. It is to make sure machines and processes are working and to ensure a fair process.”
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