Opinion ID: 1404250
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Reliance on Willis v. Circuit Court

Text: Simes's reliance on Willis v. Circuit Court of Phillips County, 342 Ark. 128, 27 S.W.3d 372 (2000), in this case is misplaced. Willis concerns a pre-election challenge to eligibility to stand as a candidate, an action controlled by Ark.Code Ann. § 7-5-207(b) (1987). See Willis v. Crumbly, 368 Ark. 5, 9 n. 4, 242 S.W.3d 600, 605 n. 4 (2006). It is inapplicable to the present case. Id. As already noted, election cases are governed entirely by statute. See Casey, supra . At issue in the present case is a post-election contest which is governed by Ark.Code Ann. § 7-5-801, a statute that provides an entirely different remedy for post-election contests. The circuit court based its decision on failure to include indispensable parties, which was incorrect, but correctly dismissed this action. This case is affirmed because the circuit court reached the right result but for the wrong reason. See Spires v. Members of Election Comm'n of Union County, 302 Ark. 407, 790 S.W.2d 167 (1990). GLAZE and DICKEY, JJ., concur. See concurring opinion in Willis v. Crumbly, No. 06-1.147, at 606-10.