Republican Party of Arkansas Executive Committee repeals delegates’ approval of ‘closed primaries’ among other action items

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Division in the state republican party played out Thursday as the party’s rules committee repealed some actions taken at the state convention, including the creation of closed primaries.

According to the state party rules, “the final authority in all party matters rest in the republican state convention” which is made up of delegates, but Republican Party of Arkansas Chairman Joseph Wood said that following a complaint filed by a delegate, the party received an advisory opinion on whether, according to party rules, they can adopt certain changes that were not on the original convention agenda.

An executive meeting Thursday to discuss that opinion resulted in an 18-5 vote, according to Convention Chairwoman Jennifer Lancaster, accepting the opinion that deems actions taken under Lancaster’s leadership “null and void.”

“We were supposed to adopt the rules committees,” Woods said. “They had two votes to change that, and they didn’t. They had to add an agenda that makes it more flexible that was not approved, and they went ahead and did it anyway.”

Lancaster, as one of the few voting against this, said she pushed back on leaders in the executive meeting on their authority to override the will of the delegates, according to party rules.

She, along with delegates outside, said they will continue fighting back and nothing is off the table, including possible litigation.

“They’re trying to exclude the people’s voice in the Republican Party of Arkansas who legally met as we were supposed to do, made decisions to make this a better country,” delegate Corry Branson said.

Chairman Joseph Wood released an official statement hours after the vote.

“Today the Republican Party of Arkansas (RPA) Executive Committee voted overwhelmingly to declare null and void certain actions taken by the State Convention Chair in violation of RPA Rules, Article 1, Section 6. While the State Convention is the final authority on RPA matters, that body adopted RPA Rules in their entirety, and then repeatedly violated the notice requirements provided in Article 1, Section 6, Items F-G. Those violations of the RPA Rules were predictable considering the Convention Chair attempted not once, but twice, to strip those sections from adoption. Those failed attempts at eliminating the notice requirements, prior to their adoption as a whole, are an admission of their necessity. The will of the body was to preserve those sections of the Rules; sections which protect against the chaos of unknown and unvetted proposals.

This does not negate the certification of state and federal candidates, presidential electors, or the additional platform changes which complied with RPA Rules Article 1, Section 6, Items F-G. Today’s decision is not about any one proposal or group of proposals, but about applying the Rules equally to protect the will of the delegates, which was to preserve required notice.”

RPA Chairman Joseph Wood

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