Opinion ID: 1404679
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: District Office

Text: We turn then to the first issue raised by Willis in this case. He asserts that the St. Francis County Circuit Court erred in finding that the office of state senator is a state office for purposes of § 7-5-801. We agree. The Arkansas Constitution provides that [t]he Senate shall consist of members to be chosen every four years by the qualified electors of the several districts. Ark. Const. art. 5, § 3. The Arkansas Constitution further provides that no person shall be a state senator who has not been a resident for one year of the county or district whence he may be chosen. Ark. Const. art. 5, § 4. Based no doubt on these constitutional provisions, the publication entitled Running for Public Office published by the State Board of Election Commissioners in conjunction with the Office of the Secretary of State and the Arkansas Ethics Commission distinguishes state, offices where candidates are elected by the entire state and district offices where candidates are elected by only a portion of the state. In addition, the Election Code distinguishes between state candidates and district candidates for certification purposes. See Ark.Code Ann. § 7-7-401(a) (Supp.2005). We conclude that the St. Francis County Circuit Court erred in ruling that the office of state senator is a state office. [3]