Attorney General Tim Griffin announced on Mar. 25 that eight people have been arrested in Phillips County on felony charges related to illegal activities during the 2024 primary runoff election for Justice of the Peace District 9.
The announcement is significant as it addresses concerns about election integrity and underscores ongoing efforts to maintain secure elections in Arkansas. The Attorney General’s office engages in initiatives addressing public integrity and community relations across the state, according to the official website.
Griffin said, “Eight people in Phillips County recently turned themselves in after agents in my Special Investigations Division obtained warrants for their arrest on felony charges related to a runoff election for the Phillips County Justice of the Peace seat for District 9. Lita Moore Johnson, 62, a teacher at Marvell School District who won the runoff election for the Justice of the Peace seat, was one of the individuals arrested after evidence was submitted that she told multiple voters to illegally change the address on their voter registration so that they could vote for her in the runoff. Johnson was charged with two counts of solicitation to commit perjury, a class D felony.”
Seven other individuals were charged with perjury, a class C felony, after allegedly changing their voter registration addresses and voting outside their assigned precincts. Those named include Mearion Armstrong; Cordelia Foster; Shirley Hicks; Jasean Smith; Adam Swopes; Rachel Gamble Sykes; and Jocelyn Washington. Griffin said, “Keeping Arkansas’s elections the most secure in the country requires vigilance and perseverance, and I am pleased to see these individuals held accountable for their actions. I am grateful for the outstanding work done on these cases by my Special Investigations Division and Special Prosecutions Division.”
The Arkansas Attorney General’s office offers consumer protection services, handles civil and criminal matters, supports public safety initiatives, provides resources for fraud reporting and legal opinions, operates statewide legal services programs including community education efforts—all within its role serving Arkansas residents according to its official website (https://arkansasag.gov/).
Griffin has served as Attorney General since January 2023 following previous roles as Lieutenant Governor and U.S. Representative from Arkansas’s Second Congressional District according to information provided by his office.
The broader impact of this case reflects continued vigilance over electoral processes by state authorities operating within legal frameworks designed to ensure fair practices at all levels of government.
