LITTLE ROCK-The Arkansas Board of Election Commissioners has voted to hire the father of state attorney general Leslie Rutledge to serve as the board's new executive director.
Keith Rutledge was hired Thursday, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports. The board monitors, educates and assists local officials in conducting elections.
Rutledge is a former lawyer, circuit court judge and state drug director.
The board interviewed four candidates, including Rutledge, for the position during an executive session. The meeting was opened to the public and Commissioner Stu Soffer made the motion to hire Rutledge. No public discussion was allowed on the matter.
Deputy secretary of state and legal counsel A.J. Kelly declined to comment on why the commission picked Rutledge. Kelly was sitting in for secretary of state Mark Martin, who is the chairman of the
board.