Voting & Elections Toolkits

Deadline

• To qualify to vote in the next election, you must apply to register to vote 30 days before the election. 

More information: https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/elections/voter-information/voter-registration-information

Mail-in or in-person registration

You may obtain a voter registration form from the following sources:

• Your local county clerk.
• The Arkansas Secretary of State Elections Division: 1-800-482-1127.
• Local revenue or DMV office.
• Public library.
• Disability agency.
• Military recruitment office.
• Online Request Form:
  • Request an application through the mail (USPS).
• Print a Form:
  • Arkansas Voter Registration Form – English - PDF
  • Arkansas Voter Registration Form - Spanish – PDF

Updating registration      

To update registration after a move, name change, or change of political party affiliation, use the voter registration form: https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/uploads/elections/ArkansasVoterRegistrationApplication.pdf

Cancelling registration

To cancel your voter registration, you must cancel your voter registration through the county clerk's office: https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/uploads/elections/ARCountyClerks.pdf

If you move to a new Arkansas county, you must cancel your voter registration through the county clerk's office in your old county, and reregister to vote by completing a new application through your new county clerk's office.

ID Requirements for Voting

According to Arkansas law, voters are now required to verify their voter registration.

If the voter is unable to verify their registration, they have the opportunity to vote a provisional ballot. Under this circumstance, the voter has until 12:00 noon on the first Monday following the election to provide proper identification.

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

(a) Shows the name of the person to whom the document or identification card was issued;

(b) Shows a photograph of the person to whom the document or identification card was issued;

(c) Is issued by the United States, the State of Arkansas, or an accredited postsecondary educational institution in the State of Arkansas; and

(d) 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.

Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 51, § 13(b)(1)(A)

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 under Ark. Code § 7-5-324.

Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 51, § 13(b)(1)(B)

A person who is a resident of a long-term care or residential care facility licensed by the state of Arkansas is not required to verify his or her registration by presenting a document or identification card as described above when voting in person, but must provide documentation from the administrator of the facility attesting that the person is a resident of the facility.

Arkansas Constitution, Amendment 51, § 13(b)(2)(B)

More information: https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/elections/voter-information/voter-registration-information

How to get an ID

Obtaining a Driver's License or ID Card: https://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/driver-services/drivers-license-faqs

Absentee voting

To be qualified to vote with 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 dependant 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.

More info: https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/elections/voter-information/absentee-voting

More info on Military & Overseas voting: https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/elections/military-and-overseas-citizens

Early voting

• Depending on the type of election being conducted, you may early vote during the 7 or 15 days prior to Election Day.

• In most counties, early voting is conducted at the county clerk’s office.

• During a preferential primary or a general election, early voting is available between the hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, ending at 5 p.m. on the Monday before the election.

• During all other elections, early voting is available during your county clerk’s regular office hours.

Polling places and hours

• Use the Polling Place Locator to find your polling place: https://www.voterview.ar-nova.org/VoterView/PollingPlaceSearch.do
• For a general election or primary, polls in Arkansas are open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
• ​Time off to vote: Employer must schedule employees’ work schedules on election days to enable employees to vote.

Rides to the polls

Many organizations offer free rides to polling places. Some of these include:

• Lyft (www.lyft.com) provides free or discounted rides in some underserved communities
• Carpool Vote (https://carpoolvote.com/) matches you with a driver, or provides a platform to volunteer as a driver, for a free ride to the polls
• Political parties sometimes arrange rides for voters. Contact the local office:
  • Republican Party: 
  • Democratic Party:
     

Help for disabled voters

•  The Office of the Secretary of State has addressed the needs of physically challenged voters to ensure that they can fully participate in the process by installing accessible voting machines and providing grants to counties to make polls accessible.

For more info on the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) in Arkansas: https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/elections/voter-information/arkansas-and-hava/hava-faqs

Ballots

Where to get more info on candidates

Initiatives and Referenda

Sample ballots

Who are the candidates, and what else is on the ballot?

Important Dates

• March 3, 2020: Primary
• March 31, 2020: Primary runoff
• November 3, 2020: General election

Who conducts elections?

• The Elections Division within the Arkansas Secretary of State's office is responsible for maintaining the state’s election records, assisting county officials with conducting federal, state and district elections, helps to ensure compliance with federal election laws such as the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act, and oversees training on the state’s electronic voting systems.

Where to go with complaints about candidates or how elections are conducted

The Arkansas Board of Election Commissioners investigates complaints of alleged election misconduct and election law violations. You can file an official complaint at their website here: http://www.arkansas.gov/sbec/election-information/complaints/. 

Campaign finance

Financial Disclosure Archive Search (https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/filing_search/index.php/filing/search/new) allows you to access archived Financial Disclosure reports filed both on paper and online with the Secretary of State's office, including Statement of Financial Interest Reports, Extra Income Disclosures, Disclosure by the Members of the General Assembly, Contribution and Expenditure Reports, Political Action Committee Reports and Lobbyist Reports.

How to contact your elected officials:

Find your elected officials: https://www.sos.arkansas.gov/elections/elected-officials/