Arkansas

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State of Arkansas Voting & Elections

Election Day is November 8

  • October 11                  Deadline to postmark voter registration or to deliver it in person
  • October 24                  First day of early voting
  • November 1                Deadline to submit absentee ballot request via mail or electronic means
  • November 4                Deadline to submit absentee ballot request in person
  • November 7                Last day of early voting
  • November 8                Deadline for election authority to receive absentee ballot via mail or in person
  • November 8                Election Day

 

To register to vote in Arkansas, you must:

  • Be a U.S. citizen.
  • Be an Arkansas resident.
  • Be age 18 or turn 18 on or before the next election.
  • Not be a convicted felon whose sentence has not been discharged or pardoned.
  • Not be presently adjudged as mentally incompetent as to your ability to vote by a court of competent jurisdiction.

 

How to register to vote:

You must fill out a paper voter registration application. Print out the Voter Registration Application or fill out the online form to Request an application through the mail (USPS), then mail your ballot in to the address provided on the ballot.

  • Once your local county clerk has processed your Voter Registration Application, he/she will send you a personalized voter registration card. This could take up to several weeks.
  • Never assume you are registered to vote until you have received your voter registration card from the county clerk.
  • Feel free to call your county clerk and inquire about the status of your application.
  • You may also check your voter registration status online by visiting www.voterview.org

If you are registering to vote by mail: You must provide either your driver’s license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number on your Arkansas Voter Registration Application, or check the box in #9 on the application to indicate that you do not possess either a driver’s license or Social Security number.

 

Voter ID Requirements

Each voter shall verify his or her registration when voting by presenting a document or identification card that:

  1. Shows the name of the person to whom the document or identification card was issued;
  2. Shows a photograph of the person to whom the document or identification card was issued;
  3. Is issued by the United States, the State of Arkansas, or an accredited postsecondary educational institution in the State of Arkansas; and
  4. If displaying an expiration date, is not expired or expired no more than four (4) years before the date of the election in which the voter seeks to vote.

Documents and identification cards that will be accepted as verification of voter registration include without limitation:

  • A driver’s license
  • A photo identification card
  • A concealed handgun carry license; A United States passport; An employee badge or identification document issued by an accredited postsecondary education institution in the State of Arkansas
  • A United States military identification document
  • A public assistance identification card if the card shows a photograph of the person to whom the document or identification card was issued
  • A voter verification card as provided by the county clerk’s office.

Voters unable to verify registration when voting in person shall be permitted to cast a provisional ballot. Provisional ballots cast in this manner will be counted if:

  • The voter returns to the county board of election commissioners or the county clerk by 12:00 noon on the Monday following the election and presents a document or identification card meeting the requirements described above, and the county board of election commissioners does not determine that the provisional ballot is invalid and should not be counted based on other grounds.

 

Absentee Voting

To be qualified to vote an absentee ballot, you must meet one of the following criteria:

  • You will be unavoidably absent from your polling site on election day, OR
  • You will be unable to attend your polling site on election day due to illness or physical disability, OR
  • You are a member of the Uniformed Services, merchant marines or the spouse or a dependent family member and are away from your polling location due to the member’s active duty status, OR
  • A U.S. citizen whose residence is in Arkansas but is temporarily living outside the territorial limits of the United States.

To request an absentee ballot:

  • Option 1: Request to have an absentee ballot application sent to you by contacting your county clerk in the county where you are registered to vote.
  • Option 2: click here to download and complete an absentee ballot application, then return this application to the county clerk in the county where you are registered to vote. 

 

Resources

 

Tribes in Arkansas

Federally recognized tribes

  • None

State recognized tribes

  • None

Native Vote Coordinators

Sign up to be a local Native Vote coordinator today!

Major Party Contact Information

Democrat
Chairman, Vincent Insalaco
www.arkdemsdev.org

Republican
Chairman, Doyle Webb
www.arkansasgop.org

Posted in States.