Arkansas

Election Day: Polls are open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. CT on Election Day, or until the last person in line by 7:30 p.m. CT has voted. 

Early Voting: Early voting begins 15 days before the election and is available from 8 a.m.— 6 p.m. CT Monday to Friday, and 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. CT on Saturday. Early voting ends at 5 p.m. CT on the Monday before the election.  In most counties, early voting is conducted at the County Clerk’s office. In counties with off-site early voting (a location other than the County Clerk’s office), local newspapers will publish the designated sites. 

Absentee voters may return their ballot in person at the County Clerk’s office, or by mail. The deadlines are as follows:

• If returning a ballot in person, the voter must deliver the voted ballot to the County Clerk by close of business the Friday before Election Day. Voters can check the business hours of their County Clerk by contacting them here: AR County Clerks or Association of Arkansas Counties. Voters who miss this deadline still may vote in person by provisional ballot until 7:30 p.m. on Election Day.
• If returning a ballot by mail, the ballot must be received at the Clerk’s office by 7:30 p.m. CT on Election Day, 
• If a designated bearer is returning the ballot, the ballot must be delivered by close of business the Friday before Election Day.

If an authorized agent or administrator (applicable to persons in long-term care or residential facilities only) is returning the ballot, the ballot must be delivered by 7:30 p.m. CT on Election Day.

How to Find Your Polling Place: Visit the Arkansas Voter View website and fill out the voter’s information to find the voter’s polling place.

Registration Deadlines

• For registration deadlines, see How to Register below.

How to Check Your Registration: Voters can determine whether they are registered to vote at the following link: Am I Registered?.

You are eligible to vote in Arkansas if you:

• Are a U.S. citizen
• Are a resident of Arkansas
• Are at least 18 years old by Election Day

You are NOT eligible to vote in Arkansas if:

• You are currently serving a sentence including incarceration, parole, probation, or extended supervision for a felony conviction
• A judge has specifically ruled that you are not able to vote.

Restorative Requirements

• If your felony is expunged, OR if your sentence is completed, including parole or probation, with all fees paid that are associated with sentencing at the time of conviction: Get proof of expungement or sentence completion from the Department of Corrections or your Probation Office and submit this documentation to your county clerk’s office when you register to vote.

How to register 

To be eligible to vote, a person must be:

• A U.S. citizen;
• An Arkansas resident; 
• Submit or mail voter registration application at least 30 days (if mailed, postmarked) before the first election in which the person will vote;
• Be age 18 by Election Day; 
• Not be presently declared mentally incompetent as to their ability to vote by a court of competent jurisdiction; and
• Not be subject to imprisonment, probation, or parole, following a felony conviction (all fees, costs, and restitution must also be paid).  A misdemeanor conviction does not impact voter eligibility. More information can be found here:  VOTING AFTER A CRIMINAL CONVICTION | ACLU of Arkansas 

Arkansas residents may register either at a County Clerk’s office or by mail (a voter cannot register online). 

The voter registration form may be printed from the Arkansas Secretary of State’s website. If the voter does not have a computer or printer, they can contact their local County Clerk, which can be found on the Arkansas voter registration page, or by calling the Secretary of State Elections Division at (501) 682-5070 or toll-free at 1-800-482-1127. A Spanish language version of the form is also available at the following link: SOLICITUD DE INSCRIPCIÓN COMO VOTANTE EN ARKANSAS 

The voter may also request an application online to be sent by mail, by clicking on the following link to the Arkansas Secretary of State website: Request the Arkansas voter registration application form. 

To register to vote in Arkansas, the voter must have resided in Arkansas, and have submitted their registration application, at least 30 days before the first election in which they will vote.

If You Want to Vote Absentee, requests may be made:

• In-Person
• By Mail
• By Fax
• By Email

Absentee Ballots may be returned:

• In-Person
• By Mail

Any eligible voter can vote early in Arkansas for any reason. In most counties in Arkansas, early voting is conducted at the County Clerk’s office. Voters can contact their County Clerk’s office to confirm their early voting location or can find location information by searching on the state’s webpage at https://www.voterview.ar-nova.org/. 

Voters are eligible to request an absentee ballot if they: 

• Will be unavoidably absent from their polling site on election day;
• Will be unable to attend their polling site on election day due to illness or physical disability;
• Will be unable to attend the polls due to observance of a religious discipline or religious holiday during the entire twelve (12) hours that the polls are open on election day
• Reside in a long-term care or residential facility licensed by the state;
• Are a member of the Uniformed Services, a merchant marine, or the spouse or a dependent family member and are away from their polling location due to the member’s active duty status; or
• are a United States citizen whose residence is in Arkansas but is temporarily living outside the territorial limits of the U.S.  

To receive an absentee ballot, voters may either pick up an absentee ballot application from their County Clerk or request to have one sent to them by contacting the County Clerk’s office in the county where they are registered to vote.  They may also download an absentee ballot application directly from the Secretary of State’s website.

When a voter submits their application for an absentee ballot, they may designate how they wish to receive their ballot—whether in person, by mail, or by designated bearer.  An authorized agent (applicable to those in long-term care) may pick up a ballot on behalf of a voter until 1:30 p.m. CT on Election Day. 

Ballots may be returned by mail or may be dropped off at the County Clerk’s office. County Clerk office addresses can be found here. 

Military members and Arkansas residents temporarily living abroad can also register by mail, online by using the Military and Overseas Voter Request Form on the Federal Voting Assistance Program website, or via a Federal Post Card Application (which registers a military member to vote and requests an absentee ballot at the same time, available at: Standard Form 76, “Federal Post Card Application (FPCA)”. Military members may also have a copy of the form mailed to them by calling the Federal Voting Assistance Program at 1-800-438-VOTE (8683).

Absentee voters may vote in person at the County Clerk’s office, or by mail.  The deadlines are as follows:

• If returning a ballot in person, the voter must deliver the voted ballot to the county clerk by close of business the Friday before Election Day.  Voters can check the business hours of their county clerk by contacting them here: AR County Clerk List or Association of Arkansas Counties. Voters who miss this deadline still may vote early by provisional ballot until 7:30 p.m. CT on Election Day.
• If returning a ballot by mail, the ballot must be received at the Clerk’s office by 7:30 p.m. CT on Election Day. 
• If a designated bearer is returning the ballot, the ballot must be delivered by close of business the Friday before Election Day.
• If an authorized agent is returning the ballot, the ballot must be delivered by 7:30 p.m. CT on Election Day.

Voter Registration

To register to vote in Arkansas you should provide one of the following:

• Last Four Digits of your Social Security Number
• Your Arkansas Driver’s License Number

If you do not have any of these IDs, you can provide a copy of one of the following with your registration application:

• Current and Valid Photo ID
• Government Issued Document that shows your current name and address
• Utility Bill
• Government Check
• Bank Statement
• Paycheck that Shows your Current Name and Address

You can alternatively provide one of these documents when you vote to complete your registration. If you do not have an Arkansas Driver’s License, Arkansas ID or Social Security number and need help getting ID, go to [VoteRiders.org](www.voteriders.org)

Voting In-Person

In Arkansas, you need to show a valid ID to vote. You can use any ID from this list:

• Current and Valid Photo ID
• U.S. Passport
• License to Carry Concealed Weapon or Firearm
• Valid Arkansas Driver’s License
• Valid Military ID
• Public Assistance ID
• Valid Student ID from State School

If you do not have an Arkansas Driver’s License, Arkansas ID or Social Security number and need help getting ID, go to [VoteRiders.org]

If registering by mailing the application, either the voter’s driver’s license number or the last 4 digits of their Social Security number are required. If the voter does not have either, they must check the appropriate line in box 9 on the application. If the voter is a first-time registrant and registering by mail, the voter must include with the mailed registration form a photocopy of ONE of the following (or show it when the voter votes):
(A) a photo ID, OR
(B) a current utility bill, bank statement, paycheck, government check or other government document.

IDs with expiration dates may be used within four years of expiration on Election Day.

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

If a voter is unable to provide the required ID at the polling place, the voter can vote with a provisional ballot.

Act 249 of 2021 removed the option for voters without proper ID to have their provisional ballots counted if they complete a sworn statement that they are who they say they are and are registered to vote. As a result, voters who cast provisional ballots due to lack of proper ID must return with the required ID to their County Clerk by 12:00 p.m. on the Monday following the election. The County Board of Election Commissioners will then determine if the ballot is eligible to be counted.

Moving within the Same County

If a voter has changed addresses since registering to vote and their new address is within the same county, they should be able to cast a regular ballot at the polling place associated with the new address, even if they have not updated their address. However, it is recommended that the voter update their voter information with their County Clerk’s office before the election.  If the voter has not done so, they will be required to update their information at their polling place before voting. 

Moving Between Counties

If a voter has moved and their new address is in a different county, they will need to transfer their voter registration to the new county.  The voter will be required to submit a voter registration application checking the box for “this is an address change” to the County Clerk in their new county no later than 4 days before the scheduled election.

Voting Military

Service members and their dependents may register and request a ballot using the federal voter registration/ballot request form (“FPCA”). You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

Voting Overseas

U.S. citizens living overseas may register and request a ballot using the overseas voter registration/ballot request form. You will have the following identification options when completing the form:

• U.S. State or Territory or District Issued ID
• Option to Indicate that you do not have the Requested ID
• Last 4 Digits of your Social Security Number

Military members and overseas citizens can register by mail, online by using the Military and Overseas Voter Request Form on the Arkansas Secretary of State’s Voter Registration website, or via a Federal Post Card Application (which registers a military member to vote and requests an absentee ballot at the same time, available here, and select Federal Post Card Application, Form 76.  Military members may also have a copy of the form mailed to them by calling the Federal Voting Assistance Program at (800) 482-1127.

Like other voters, military members and overseas citizens must register thirty (30) days prior to the election in which a voter wants to vote.

UOCAVA voters may request that an absentee ballot be sent by mail or by electronic means. The ballot delivery system called Ballot Safe will allow eligible active-duty military and overseas voters to receive their absentee ballot through a secure online website.  After a qualified voter has requested an absentee ballot, the voter will receive a confirmation email with instructions on how to log into the secure site.  The voter will download the ballot and other necessary documents, such as a Voter Statement, instructions, and envelope templates.  After marking the ballot before the polls close in Arkansas on election day, the voter will mail it back to their County Clerk.  Ballots from UOCAVA voters must be received no later than ten (10) days after the election.
Additional information for Military and Overseas Citizens can be found here: Military and Overseas Citizens or FVAP.gov.

Arkansas residents who have been convicted of a misdemeanor may vote.  Arkansas residents who have pending charges, but no conviction, may vote.  If a resident has been convicted of a felony, they may vote once they are no longer incarcerated, have been discharged from any probation or parole, and have paid all fees, fines, and restitution related to their conviction.  For more information, including information on how to have voting rights restored after a felony conviction, see: ACLU Arkansas Know Your Rights.