Early voting opens across Arkansas today: Hours, deadlines and what’s on the Nov. 3 ballot

LITTLE ROCK — Early voting for the Nov. 3 general election opened at 8 a.m. Monday at county clerks’ offices and satellite sites across Arkansas, the start of a 15-day window in which the secretary of state’s office expects roughly half of the state’s 1.85 million registered voters to cast ballots.

The ballot carries a governor’s race, a U.S. Senate seat, all four U.S. House seats, every seat in the state House, four proposed changes to the state constitution and a long list of county, city and school contests. Early voting runs through 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, under the secretary of state’s 2026 election calendar.

Hours and deadlines

State law sets the same early voting hours in every county: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, Oct. 24 and Oct. 31. There is no Sunday voting. On the final day, Monday, Nov. 2, sites close at 5 p.m. Counties that open satellite locations away from the clerk’s office can run them on shorter schedules, so voters planning to use a library, church or community center should check that site’s days before heading out.

Voter registration for this election closed Oct. 5. Arkansas has no same-day registration. Other dates to know:

• Tuesday, Oct. 27: Last day for county clerks to receive absentee ballot applications by mail, fax or email.
• Friday, Oct. 30: Last day to apply for an absentee ballot in person at the clerk’s office, and the last day to hand-deliver a completed absentee ballot, both by close of business.
• Monday, Nov. 2: Early voting ends at 5 p.m.
• Tuesday, Nov. 3: Election Day. Polls are open 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mailed absentee ballots must reach the county clerk by 7:30 p.m. Military and overseas ballots have 10 extra days.
• Tuesday, Dec. 1: General runoff for county and city races where no candidate wins a majority.

Nov. 3 also doubles as the runoff date for nonpartisan judicial races left unsettled in March and for school board runoffs, which moved to the November ballot under a 2025 law.

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Who is on the statewide ballot

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders is seeking a second four-year term against state Sen. Fred Love, D-Mabelvale, and Libertarian Colt Shelby of Cecil. U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton is running for a third term against Democrat Hallie Shoffner, a farmer, and Libertarian Jeff Wadlin of Bentonville.

All four Republican U.S. House incumbents face challengers. In the 1st District, Rick Crawford faces Democrat Terri Yarbrough Green and Libertarian Steve Parsons. In the 2nd, French Hill faces Democrat Chris Jones, the party’s 2022 nominee for governor, in what the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette called the most hotly contested congressional race in the state. In the 3rd, Steve Womack faces Democrat Robb Ryerse and Libertarian Bobby Wilson. In the 4th, Bruce Westerman faces Democrat James “Rus” Russell III.

Two constitutional offices are open. Secretary of State Cole Jester, appointed to the job in December 2024, is running for land commissioner against Libertarian Christopher Olson, with incumbent Tommy Land term-limited. The race to replace Jester pits state Sen. Kim Hammer, who won the Republican nomination in a March 31 runoff, against Democrat Kelly Grappe and Libertarian Michael Pakko. Lt. Gov. Leslie Rutledge faces Libertarian Michael Kalagias with no Democrat in the race. Attorney General Tim Griffin, Treasurer John Thurston and Auditor Dennis Milligan are unopposed.

All 100 state House seats are up, along with 18 state Senate seats, three circuit judge positions and a prosecuting attorney, according to the Democrat-Gazette’s tally. Which Senate district appears on a given ballot depends on the voter’s address. Voters can see every race and question for their precinct on the sample ballot posted at VoterView, the secretary of state’s registration lookup, which also lists each voter’s Election Day polling place.

Four ballot issues, all from the Legislature

There is no citizen-initiated measure on the statewide ballot this year. All four questions were referred by the General Assembly, and the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture’s Public Policy Center has published its neutral voter guide explaining each one:

• Issue 1, the “Citizens Only Voting Amendment,” would rewrite Article 3 of the state constitution to say only U.S. citizens who meet the existing qualifications of an elector may vote, and that anyone who does not meet them may not vote in any state or local election. U.S. citizenship is already one of the four qualifications of an elector and would remain so; the amendment adds explicit language that anyone who does not meet them may not vote in any state or local election.
• Issue 2, the “Right to Keep and Bear Arms Amendment,” would amend Article 2, Section 5 to declare the right to keep and bear arms a “natural, fundamental, and individual right that shall not be infringed,” extend it to hunting, recreation and “any other lawful purpose,” and specify that it covers ammunition, firearm accessories and components.
• Issue 3 would authorize the Legislature to create programs, loans and grants using public money for economic development and to let cities, counties or cooperative areas form economic development districts that could issue bonds. The amendment itself creates no district; lawmakers would write the rules later. A 2025 bill offered as implementing legislation died in committee.
• Issue 4 asks whether the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission may issue up to $500 million in general obligation bonds, backed by the state’s full faith and credit, for water, waste disposal, pollution control, drainage, irrigation and flood control projects. No more than $60 million could be issued in any two-year period without legislative approval, and no more than $165 million of the total could go to irrigation.

Local questions

Local measures vary by county. The extension service’s local ballot issues page lists sales tax elections in Randolph and Dallas counties, a road property tax rate election in Lawrence County and a Craighead County question on combining the offices of treasurer and tax collector, and notes that its list is not exhaustive. Saline County voters will decide a measure to cut the property tax that funds the county library system by about 35%, according to the Democrat-Gazette. Hot Springs voters will decide whether to allow Sunday alcohol sales, as Arkansas Breaking News reported in August.

Where to vote early

Every county clerk’s office in the county seat is an early voting site. Under laws passed in 2025, county election commissions approve any additional off-site locations for each election, and cities with more than 15,000 residents must have an early voting site inside the city. Commissions can also close off-site locations, but not the clerk’s office, during severe weather.

In Pulaski County, the state’s largest, the election commission has 12 early voting locations open through Oct. 31, including the Pulaski County Regional Building at 501 W. Markham St. and seven Central Arkansas Library System branches in Little Rock, the Laman Library in North Little Rock, First Christian Church in Sherwood, the Jess Odom Community Center in Maumelle and the Jacksonville Community Center. On Nov. 2 only the Regional Building is open.

Washington County has 19 early voting sites and Benton County 15, spread across Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville, Rogers, Bella Vista, Siloam Springs and smaller towns, KNWA reported, with additional sites listed for Sebastian, Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Madison and Scott counties. In Northeast Arkansas, NEA Report lists the Craighead County Election Annex in Jonesboro and the Lake City annex, the Greene County Fairgrounds in Paragould, the Batesville Community Center and Southside City Hall in Independence County, and rotating sites in Mississippi County that voters should confirm with the clerk. In Southwest Arkansas, Miller County’s single early voting site is the American Legion at 525 E. Broad St. in Texarkana.

Voters elsewhere should check their county clerk’s website or call the clerk’s office. Sites listed above with hours that differ from the state schedule are noted on each county’s posted notice.

Bring a photo ID

Arkansas requires photo identification to vote in person. Accepted forms include an Arkansas driver’s license or state ID card, a concealed carry license, a U.S. passport, a military ID, a government employee ID, a student or employee ID from an accredited Arkansas college or university, a public assistance ID card and the free voter verification card available from county clerks, according to KUAF’s voter guide. An ID with an expiration date cannot have expired more than four years before Election Day. A 2025 law also allows the state’s digital driver’s license to serve as voter ID.

A voter without ID can cast a provisional ballot, then bring an accepted ID to the county clerk or election commission by noon on Monday, Nov. 9, for the ballot to count. Absentee voters must include a copy of a photo ID with their ballot.

Absentee voting is limited to voters who will be unavoidably absent on Election Day or who cannot get to the polls because of illness or physical disability. This is the first general election under Act 846 of 2025, which requires voters who cite unavoidable absence to have an adult witness sign the voter statement that accompanies the ballot, with the witness’s printed name and mailing address. Act 403 of 2025 separately requires anyone assisting an absentee voter to show photo ID.

Turnout outlook

The secretary of state’s office projects about 920,000 voters, or roughly 50%, will take part, a figure based on the average of the last four midterms, spokeswoman Samantha Boyd told the Democrat-Gazette. Turnout was 48% in 2010, 50% in 2014, 50% in 2018 and 50% in 2022, when 914,227 of 1.79 million registered voters cast ballots. The 2024 presidential election drew 1.19 million voters, about 65%.

Most of those ballots are likely to be cast before Election Day. In the 2022 midterm, 56% of Arkansas ballots were cast in person during early voting, 42% on Election Day and under 2% by mail, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s survey of the state.

County officials expect somewhat stronger turnout in the state’s population centers. Pulaski County elections director Amanda Dickens forecast about 58% of the county’s roughly 240,500 registered voters, pointing to the 2nd District congressional race, the governor’s race, a county judge contest between Democrat Wendell Griffen and Republican Michael Rushin, and crowded mayoral races in Jacksonville and Sherwood. Washington County elections director Jennifer Price said a contested county judge race and the Senate race could push turnout above the county’s usual 50%. Benton County’s election administrator is planning for 50%, Saline County’s clerk for 55% to 57%, and Faulkner County Clerk Margaret Darter for 40,000 to 45,000 of about 79,100 registered voters, with no contested county judge or sheriff’s race to drive numbers higher.

The State Board of Election Commissioners is sending monitors to Crittenden, Izard, Lee and Phillips counties on selected days during early voting, director Chris Madison told the paper, and to those four plus Chicot, Drew, Faulkner, Little River, Mississippi, Searcy and White counties on Election Day.

Official results will be posted at arkansas.tally-enr.com after polls close Nov. 3. Arkansas Breaking News will track early voting totals and election night returns across the state.