The state board of election commissioners met Friday to adopt revised rules for election procedures to reflect the Arkansas Supreme Court’s invalidation of the 2013 law that required a photo ID at the polls and new ID requirements for absentee voting.

Procedures will revert to those long in use prior to passage of the law, which resulted in disenfranchising of hundreds of voters in the primary this year.

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Human beings being human, we can’t always be sure that rules are followed. So, for future reference, I’m going to pass along both the detailed rules for election workers at the polls and a quickie guide to the same. County election officials are supposed to be instructing their workers on these changes in time for early voting, which begins Monday. New rules for handling of absentee ballots will go out next week.

Justin Clay, director of the state commission, wrote this cover letter:

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Dear County Clerks, Election Commissioners, and Election Coordinators,

On Wednesday, October 15, 2014, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled Act 595 of 2013 (the Voter ID Act) to be unconstitutional. Procedures for processing voters will revert back to the same procedures used prior to January 1, 2014. Most notably, these changes require all poll workers to ask voters to provide identification. However, unless otherwise noted on the poll book, voters are not required to provide identification in order to vote a regular ballot. Attached are replacement pages to the 2014 Poll Worker Training Guide that may be used to replace the procedures made inapplicable by the court’s decision. Please feel free to use these replacement pages with any materials that are already in place for early voting or election day.

The identification requirements for absentee ballots under Act 595 are also inapplicable as a result of the court’s decision. Replacement pages regarding absentee procedures will be forthcoming early next week.

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