KUAR | By Hunter Field / Arkansas Advocate

A group of state senators on Thursday voted to require Arkansas counties that opt to hand count election returns to first run ballots through vote-counting machines.

Senate Bill 250 sponsor Rep. Kim Hammer (R-Benton) and state election officials said the legislation would ensure that preliminary, unofficial election results are reported quickly.

Counties would still have the flexibility to conduct official counts by hand.

https://www.ualrpublicradio.org/local-regional-news/2023-02-24/arkansas-senate-committee-oks-bill-to-regulate-paper-ballots-and-hand-counts