Opinion ID: 1755566
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Evidence of Ineligibility

Text: For his final point, Valley urges that the evidence of his ineligibility was insufficient at best. He correctly asserts that Willis had the burden of proving that he did not reside in District 99 for a period of one year prior to the general election. Nonetheless, we conclude that Willis met that burden with substantial evidence. In support of his position, Willis presented the following evidence and testimony. Linda White, County Clerk of Phillips County, stated that Valley first registered as a voter in Phillips County in 1987. At that time, he listed his address as 211 S. Coranza St., West Helena, which is located in District 99. On March 31, 1998, Valley changed his voting address to 909 Poplar St., Helena, which is located in District 98. Valley's voting record indicates that he voted as a resident at this address on March 7, 2000, as well as in the school election the previous September. Valley, however, argues that he changed his voting address on March 20, 1999, to 338 North Baringo, West Helena, which is in District 99 by completing a form and filing it on that date. According to Linda White, however, this change of address was not entered into the county clerk's computer system until March 22, 2000. The clerk stated that she did not know when the address change was received by her office because it was not file marked. Moreover, the trial court noted in its order that it was unclear on how Valley could have completed the form in March 1999 in light of the fact that the form was not put into circulation by the Secretary of State's office until May 1999. Willis presented other testimony of Valley's residence and when he changed his address to 338 North Baringo, West Helena, in District 99. Russ Hodges, general manager of the TV cable company, Cox Communications, told the court that the company provided service to Elizabeth Valley, Valley's wife, at 909 Poplar Street until it was transferred to 338 North Baringo Street on April 14, 2000. Kathryn Ann Thomas, a billing clerk at the Helena Water Company, testified that she stopped service to Valley at 909 Poplar Street on April 25, 2000. Jacquelyn Clayton, a bookkeeper at West Helena Water Utilities, testified that a water deposit had been paid by Valley for 338 North Baringo Street on April 3, 2000. Clayton also testified that she lives across the street from 338 North Baringo Street, that construction of the house at that address was not completed until late 1999, and that the first time anyone lived in the new house was in April 2000. That person was Valley. Valley argues that the exhibits offered by Willis were not properly before the trial court for various reasons. He asserts that some exhibits were not properly offered into evidence while others violated the hearsay rule and still others should not have been admitted due to failure to establish a proper foundation. He further urges that Willis attempted to prove Valley's physical residence by using utility hook-up information, but that Willis put forth no direct evidence of Valley's physical residence. For example, he argues that Willis offered no deeds showing the ownership of the land on any of the residences in question. Finally, Valley contends that Article 5, § 4, of the Arkansas Constitution requires that the candidate live in the county or district for one year prior to the election. He claims that the rules of statutory construction require that this section be given its plain and ordinary meaning, and he contends that he has lived in Phillips County for all of the relevant time period. Therefore, he argues that the court should interpret this section of the constitution to require only that he live in either the county or the district, and because he lived in the county, he met the constitutional requirements. The Arkansas Constitution requires that no person shall be a state representative who has not, at the time of his election, been a resident of the district where he may be elected for one year. Ark. Const. art. 5, § 4; see also Jenkins v. Bogard, 335 Ark. 334, 980 S.W.2d 270 (1998); Brewster v. Johnson, 260 Ark. 450, 541 S.W.2d 306 (1976). We discussed this section of the constitution in Jenkins v. Bogard, supra , and said: The focus here is on the word resided. In Charisse v. Eldred, 252 Ark. 101, 102-03, 477 S.W.2d 480, 480 (1972), we said that, [i]n determining qualifications of voters and public officials, the word `residence' has usually been treated as if it were synonymous with `domicile' and dependent to some extent upon the intention of the person involved. The determination of residence is a question of intention, to be ascertained not only by the statements of the person involved, but also from his conduct concerning the matter of residence. Phillips v. Melton, 222 Ark. 162, 164, 257 S.W.2d 931, 932 (1953). 335 Ark. at 340, 341, 980 S.W.2d at 274. In the case at hand, the date of the general election when Valley could have been elected state representative is November 7, 2000. Therefore, to be eligible under the constitutional requirements, he would have had to live in District 99 since November 7, 1999. In reviewing findings of nonresidency under Article 5, § 4, we must affirm if there is substantial evidence to support the finding. Brewster v. Johnson, supra . Here, the testimony with supporting documents from the county clerk and the testimony with documentation from the cable television manager as well as representatives from two water utilities are probative of Valley's residence. There was also the testimony of Mrs. Clayton who lived across the street from the North Baringo address and who testified about when the new house was occupied. The evidence presented at trial is more than substantial to establish Valley's conduct and the fact that he did not move to District 99 until April, 2000. This court's holding in Jenkins is controlling here. In Jenkins , we held that the fact the candidate did not actually move into the district until the spring immediately prior to the fall election rendered him ineligible for office under one-year state constitutional residency requirement. Jenkins v. Bogard, 335 Ark. at 341, 980 S.W.2d at 274. The same holds true in the instant case. Valley was not eligible to run for state representative for District 99 due to his failure to move into that district until April 2000. The trial court did not err in its finding on this point. Further, we are convinced that Article 5, § 4, of the Arkansas Constitution requires that Valley reside in the legislative district for one year, not merely in the county. The mandate in this case shall issue immediately. Affirmed.