Judge: Votes won't be counted for ex-Ark. lawmaker

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - A judge in central Arkansas has ordered votes to not be counted or certified for a former state lawmaker who resigned this year after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit election fraud.

Judge Mary McGowan on Tuesday granted Green Party candidate Fred Smith's request and deemed former Democratic Rep. Hudson Hallum ineligible as a candidate for House District 50 in Crittenden and Cross counties.

Smith asked McGowan to remove Hallum's name from the ballot after Hallum pleaded guilty to a federal charge and resigned from the state House.

Hallum's name is already on the ballot. Election Day is Tuesday. If votes would have been counted for Hallum and he was the top vote getter, it could have created a vacancy in office that would have triggered a special election.

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