Candidate told wrong district, misses deadline

State site shows previous map

Beverly Fox of Ozark filed to run for state representative in the wrong district, but she said it’s not her fault.

On March 1, Fox went to the state Capitol in Little Rock to file as an independent for the District 74 seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives. But Fox said a worker helping candidates with filing told Fox her residence is actually in District 82, so Fox filed to run in that district instead.

A week later, Fox was notified that she had filed in the wrong district. Fox lives on the south side of Arkansas 309, the dividing line between the two districts, with District 74 being to the south.

Fox said she can still run for state representative in District 74, but she was told she has missed the deadline to file as an independent.

“They say I can’t run as an independent because I filed in the wrong district based on their information,” Fox said.

Alex Reed, a spokesman for the Arkansas secretary of state’s office, which oversees elections, said he doesn’t know with whom Fox talked while filing. Someone apparently looked up Fox’s address on the House of Representatives’ website at arkansas house.org/about-the-house/district-map.

After clicking on an icon that reads “Find My Rep,” visitors are taken to the interactive map. But the current districts listed on the map are actually those that existed before redistricting last year, Reed said. Redistricting is done after each decennial census to reflect population shifts.

“She did not know what

district she lived in,” Reed said. “She came in on the last day of filing. We tried to help her in any way we could.”

Deanna Schmalz, the Franklin County clerk, said she has been working as sort of a liaison between Fox and the secretary of state’s office.

“I feel bad for her,” said Schmalz. “She’s definitely independent.”

Reed said the office has told Fox she can still file as a candidate for the Green Party or the Libertarian Party, which are still allowing filings under Act 1036 of 2011. But Fox doesn’t want to run with a party affiliation.

“I want to represent the people,” she said. “I don’t want to represent a party. I don’t believe our government is addressing issues for the people. I’m tired of government control and intervention.”

Fox said she doesn’t believe it’s fair to prevent her from running as an independent because of a mistake made by someone from the secretary of state’s office.

“They told me the district. I didn’t go in there and throw a dart at the board,” she said.

Fox said she lives at 7207 Arkansas 309. Reed noted that, when that address is typed into the House of Representatives’ interactive map site, it brings up the address at 7200 Arkansas 309, which while nearby is in Logan County, not Franklin County, where Fox lives.

Fox said she’s supposed to be gathering signatures to certify her ballot position as an independent, but she hasn’t started because of the confusion about the districts.

“It concerns me,” she said. “If they’re having problems telling people what district they’re in, how’s that going to affect the voting? Something’s not going to be right. ... I think they ought to fix this.”

Fox is a U.S. Department of Agriculture-licensed dog breeder.

If she runs in District 74, it would be against state Rep. Jon Eubanks, R- Paris, and Daniel Wall, a Democrat from Booneville.

If she runs in District 82, Fox would face state Rep. Leslee Milam Post, D-ozark, and Bill Gossage, a Republican from Ozark.

As an independent, Green Party candidate or Libertarian, Fox would be running in the Nov. 6 general election, not the May primary election.