LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A ruling Thursday by the Arkansas Supreme Court means votes received by Arkansas House candidates in the primary will not be counted.
The ruling upholds a Pulaski County Circuit Court ruling that House District 92 Republican primary candidate Casey Reed is ineligible to run for office. Because Reid’s name appears on the ballot, his vote will not be counted, according to the ruling.
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The case stems from a lawsuit filed by political activist Ken Young. Young maintains that Reed’s 2012 plea to felony abuse of public trust made him ineligible to hold public office. The circuit court agreed, and the Supreme Court upheld the decision.
Reed maintained that he had pleaded guilty but not been convicted of a felony and therefore was eligible to run for office, but the Supreme Court rejected that argument. He further maintained that Young had no standing to challenge his candidacy because he did not live in the 92nd District, but the court also rejected that claim because Young is an Arkansas citizen.
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The court also reversed part of the Pulaski County court ruling, allowing Young to file a petition for attorney fees and costs.
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