Arkansas Senate candidate calls for investigation into election fraud after being inaccurately listed on ballot

Republican Senate candidate for Arkansas Jake Bequette is calling for state officials to investigate claims of election fraud after thousands of ballots listed Jake as "Jack Bequette."

In a press release, Bequette said that "unknown thousands" of these incorrect ballots may exist.

"While Bequette should be listed on the ballot as 'Jake Bequette,' in Craighead County - and potentially other counties across the state - Bequette is fraudulently listed as 'Jack Bequette,' potentially confusing voters and discouraging them from voting for conservative warrior Jake Bequette," the press release stated.

In a tweet, Bequette posted a phone conversation with Jennifer Clack, Election Coordinator for Craighead County, in which the she confirmed the misprint, and said that it was too late to fix. The Republican primary election in the state is May 24.

"It can't get fixed at this point," she explained. "That was not caught in our — and actually we're not the only county who did it, so we're wondering if it got done at the company level that does our election cause we were’t the only one it happened to."

"But at this point we can't. We've got the ballots already posted," Clack added. "We basically send all of the media that goes into these machines off to Omaha, Nebraska. They program it and sent it back. But at this point there is no correction for it. It is all locked in."

When asked by Bequette if the incorrect spelling will remain for the entirety of the election, Clack responded, "yes sir."

When pressed on how early this problem was discovered, Clack, consulting with an email, said she was made aware of the misprint on April 28, but that "even at that point we were locked in."

"The voter fraud that occurred in the 2020 election was absolutely egregious, and now we’re seeing the establishment political machine try and steal another election here in Arkansas," Bequette said in the press release.

"For weeks, statewide election officials have known that my name was going to be listed incorrectly on ballots here in Arkansas, but they refused to act, correct the ballots, notify the voting public, or even notify my campaign," he added.

"That's what an intentional, political cover-up of voter fraud looks like. It's disgusting, and it should be fixed immediately. I'm calling for Secretary of State John Thurston and Attorney General Leslie Rutledge to fully investigate this fraud and find a solution that will ensure voters across Arkansas are able to confidently participate in this election process and vote for a true conservative warrior," he concluded.

Bequette is running against incumbent Republican Senator John Boozeman in the state's primary. He is a former New England Patriots player and previously served as a United States Army infantry officer.