John Thurston (politician)

John Thurston
34th Secretary of State of Arkansas
Incumbent
Assumed office January 15, 2019
Governor	Asa Hutchinson Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Preceded by	Mark Martin
Land Commissioner of Arkansas
In office January 11, 2011 – January 15, 2019
Governor	Mike Beebe Asa Hutchinson
Preceded by	Mark Wilcox
Succeeded by	Tommy Land
Personal details
Born	John Manuel Thurston (1972-12-27) December 27, 1972 Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Joanna Thurston
Children	5
Education	Agape College and School of World Evangelism

At state municipal league meeting, March 2023

John Manuel Thurston (born December 27, 1972) is an American politician who is the current Secretary of State of Arkansas; he was elected in November 2018, and won re-election in 2022. In August 2023, Thurston announced that he would run in a special election for state treasurer in 2024.

He previously was Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands. A Republican, he was first elected to that position in November 2010, took office in January 2011, and was reelected in November 2014 to a second term.

Early life

Thurston graduated in 1991 from Sheridan High School in Grant County in southern Arkansas. He then attended Agape College and School of World Evangelism in the capital city of Little Rock. He is a former licensed Christian minister and a Certified Religious Assistant in the Arkansas state prison system. He worked 13 years for Agape Church in Little Rock before entering politics.

Lands Commissioner

Thurston was the first Republican to be elected as Land Commissioner since the office became elective in 1874. In 2014, Thurston was elected as the president of the Western States Land Commissioners Association; the organization's winter conference was held in Little Rock that year.

Arkansas Secretary of State

Limited to two terms as state lands commissioner, Thurston announced in June 2016 he would run in 2018 for election as Arkansas secretary of state. As important issues, he cited election security, physical security, political accessibility, and redistricting of legislative boundaries. Thurston faced Trevor Drown in the Republican primary election, and was chosen as the Republican nominee. Running against former Director of Elections, Susan Inman, as the Democratic nominee, Thurston won election on November 6, 2018, as the next Arkansas Secretary of State. Thurston won re-election on November 6, 2022.

Controversies in office

Alleged fishing boat purchase with state funds

Thurston came under fire in 2018 for spending nearly $30,000 on a 18.5-foot War Eagle model 860LDSV boat for debris removal in state waterways four years prior while serving as Land Commissioner. The boat, which is designed for hunting and fishing and not debris removal, became a problem after it was discovered that it had never been used for official state business, and that Thurston had also "bought clothes to go along with it".

Critics argued it was a wasteful expense. Reports indicated that there were no records of significant inspections or findings from the boat's use, and its utility was questioned, given its limited use and lack of capacity for removing large obstacles, like the sunken barge for which at one point it was believed the boat was purchased. The issue became a focal point in Thurston's campaign for secretary of state, during which his opponent, Susan Inman, highlighted the inefficiency and wastefulness of the boat purchase.

Petition signature rule changes near elections

In the lead up to the 2024 election, Thurston, in his role as secretary of state, rejected legal petitions to add amendments to the November 5 ballot, despite various groups' coordination with his office. He cited inconsistently enforced procedures that had not been followed, and rejected ballot signatures as invalid with little transparency as to why.

Abortion amendment

In July 2024, Arkansas Secretary of State Thurston announced the rejection of petitions submitted to place an abortion rights amendment on the state's November ballot. The amendment sought to protect abortion access within the state constitution, specifically allowing abortion in cases of rape, incest, fatal fetal anomalies, or to safeguard the health of the mother within the first 18 weeks of pregnancy. However, the petitions were disqualified due to technical issues, primarily involving improper documentation regarding paid canvassers. The failure to provide necessary paperwork reduced the number of valid signatures by over 14,000, leaving the total below the required threshold of 90,704 signatures for ballot inclusion.

The group behind the petition, Arkansans for Limited Government (AFLG), had collected more than 100,000 signatures from across 54 counties. Despite their efforts, the Secretary of State's office cited non-compliance with statutory requirements because they did not identify paid canvassers by name nor provide a signed statement confirming that canvassers were given the required documents before collecting signatures.

The group believed it had submitted the paperwork properly and on time as they coordinated closely with Thurston's office throughout the entire process. Despite this, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled 5–4 against AFLG, holding up Thurston's original claim that they had not followed procedure because they did not submit the paid canvasser training certification on time.

Rejection of marijuana petition signatures

On September 30, 2024, Thurston announced that a petition to place a medical marijuana question on the ballot did not have the number of required signatures. The petition, submitted by Arkansans for Patient Access, needed 90,704 valid signatures but only garnered 88,040. The group had initially submitted over 150,000 signatures, but nearly half of them were invalidated by Thurston and his office. The issue arose when certifications for signatures were signed by a hired canvassing company rather than the group itself. Despite the setback, the group plans to file a lawsuit, seeking to challenge the state's decision.

On October 2, 2024, the Arkansas Supreme Court overruled Thurston's decision to invalidate the signatures. He was ordered to validate roughly 18,000 signatures that he had previously invalidated.

Dispute over casino initiative

On September 23, 2024, Thurston declared that signatures on the casino initiative petition should not be counted. In his request filed with the state Supreme Court, he asked that votes for a November ballot initiative, which could revoke the Pope County casino license, not be counted. The filing argues that the procedures for gathering signatures to place the initiative on the ballot were flawed, citing uncertified and improperly paid canvassers. This aligns with a similar argument made by the current license holder, Cherokee Nation Entertainment, LLC. In contrast, the initiative's sponsor, Local Voters in Charge, contends that procedures were followed and that a special master appointed by the court confirmed sufficient valid signatures. A hearing on the issue has been expedited by the Arkansas Supreme Court.

Electoral history

2010 general election

Thurston counties in red, Bryant counties in blue (2010)

Commissioner of State Lands election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John M. Thurston	396,263	52.68
	Democratic	L.J. Bryant	355,996	47.32
Turnout			752,259	36.17
	Republican gain from Democratic

2014 general election

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	John Thurston (R)	Mark Robertson (D)	Elvis D. Presley (L)	Undecided
Public Policy Polling	October 30–November 1, 2014	1,092	± 3%	45%	36%	9%	10%
Public Policy Polling	September 18–21, 2014	1,453	± 2.6%	38%	33%	7%	22%
Public Policy Polling	August 1–3, 2014	1,066	± 3%	40%	29%	10%	22%
Public Policy Polling	April 25–27, 2014	840	± 3.4%	28%	27%	17%	29%

Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands election, 2014

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John Thurston (Incumbent)	471,848	57.17
	Democratic	Mark Robertson	302,048	36.59
	Libertarian	Elvis D. Presley	51,518	6.24
Majority			169,800	20.57%
Total votes			825,414	100
	Republican hold

2018 elections

Main article: 2018 Arkansas elections § Secretary of State

2022 elections

Main article: 2022 Arkansas Secretary of State election

2024 elections

Main article: 2024 Arkansas State Treasurer special election

External links

• Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands