§ 7-6-230 — Alternative to electronic filing of reports

(a) (1) A candidate required to file campaign contribution and expenditure reports in electronic form under § 7-6-207 may file reports in paper form under this section. (2) (A) A candidate filing reports in paper form under subdivision (a)(1) of this section shall submit with his or her first paper report in an election cycle a notarized affidavit on a form prepared by the Secretary of State. (B) The Secretary of State shall: (i) Not accept a report in paper form under subdivision (a)(1) of this section if a notarized affidavit was not submitted with the first paper report in the election cycle; (ii) Provide written notice to the candidate within five (5) business days if the report in paper form was not filed or accepted; and (iii) Provide the reason the report in paper form was not filed or accepted. (C) The Secretary of State shall develop electronic reporting forms, including without limitation: (i) A cover sheet for a reporting period; (ii) Campaign contribution reports; and (iii) Campaign expenditure reports. (D) The Secretary of State shall develop electronic reporting forms in a manner that allows a candidate to: (i) Fill out an electronic form for each reporting period in an electronic word processing file, portable document format, or equivalent format that may be saved in a read-only format; (ii) Upload the electronic reporting forms electronically by an upload to the internet or delivered by electronic media to the Secretary of State; and (iii) Combine all electronic forms into a single document that is available to the public in an electronically searchable format. (b) (1) The Secretary of State shall make available to candidates wishing to file reports in paper form under this section: (A) Information on the deadlines for filing required reports; and (B) (i) Appropriate forms and instructions for complying with the deadlines. (ii) The Arkansas Ethics Commission shall approve the forms and instructions used by the Secretary of State to ensure that all required information is requested. (2) Reports shall be filed on the forms furnished by the Secretary of State, except that computer-generated contribution and expenditure reports shall be accepted by the Secretary of State and the commission provided that all of the requisite elements are included. (c) (1) (A) A report submitted in paper form under this section other than a preelection report is timely filed if it is either hand delivered or mailed to the Secretary of State, properly addressed, and postage prepaid, bearing a postmark indicating that it was received by the post office or common carrier on the date that the report is due. (B) A preelection report submitted in paper form under this section is timely filed if it is received by the Secretary of State no later than seven (7) days before the election for which it is filed. (2) The Secretary of State shall accept a report via facsimile, provided the original is received by the Secretary of State within ten (10) days of the date of facsimile transmission. (d) (1) The Secretary of State shall make available campaign contribution and expenditure reports submitted in paper form, carryover fund reports submitted in paper form, and affidavits accompanying reports filed in paper form, on a portion of the official website of the Secretary of State. (2) The Secretary of State shall comply with the requirements of § 7-6-214(c) regarding the "paper filer" designation and publication requirements for all reports submitted in paper form.

Legislative History

Amended by Act 2021, No. 1029,§ 1, eff. 4/29/2021. Amended by Act 2019, No. 1039,§ 5, eff. 7/24/2019. Amended by Act 2019, No. 1039,§ 4A, eff. 7/24/2019. Added by Act 2017, No. 318,§ 5, eff. 10/1/2017.