Election Day · Tuesday, November 3, 2026
How to vote in Arkansas
The deadlines, early voting, mail ballots and ID rules for Arkansas, and what happens after the polls close. Every fact links to the Arkansas Secretary of State or the law it comes from. Rules change, and courts sometimes change them close to an election, so confirm anything you are relying on with the state.
Checked against official sources on October 7.
Key dates
- Register online by
Online registration is not available
No online registration; the Secretary of State offers only paper applications.
- Register by mail by
Monday, October 5
Postmarked by the deadline — 'the postmark on a mailed application will be its submission date' (SOS FAQ). The statutory 30th day is Sunday, October 4, so the deadline moves to Monday, October 5 (Ark. Code § 7-1-108).
- Register in person by
Monday, October 5
At the county clerk or a voter registration agency.
- Same-day registration
No
Registration closes 30 days before the election.
- Early voting
Monday, October 19 to Monday, November 2
15 days before the election (Ark. Code § 7-5-418(a)(1)(A)).
- How early voting works
Statewide hours: 8 a.m.–6 p.m. Monday–Friday and 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Saturday; ends 5 p.m. Monday, November 2. Locations are set by each county.
- Request a mail ballot by
Tuesday, October 27
By mail, fax or email: received 7 days before (October 27). In person or by designated bearer: close of business Friday, October 30. By authorized agent for hospital or care-facility patients: 1:30 p.m. on Election Day.
- Return your mail ballot by
Tuesday, November 3
Received, not postmarked: mailed ballots must reach the county clerk by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. Hand delivery by the voter or a designated bearer: close of business Friday, October 30.
- Election Day polling hours
7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Ark. Code § 7-5-304(a).
Voting by mail
- Who can vote by mail
You need a reason to vote by mail
Allowed if you will be unavoidably absent on Election Day, are ill or physically disabled, are in the uniformed services or merchant marine (or a spouse/dependent), or live temporarily outside the U.S.
- Drop boxes
No
The Secretary of State's absentee-voting page lists the ways to return a voted ballot: in person or by designated bearer by close of business the Friday before the election, by mail (received by 7:30 p.m. Election Day), or by authorized agent. Drop boxes are not among them. The page does not use the words "drop box" at all.
- Ballots arriving after Election Day
Not counted — your ballot must arrive by the deadline
Domestic mail ballots must arrive by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. Military and overseas ballots dated by Election Day count if received by 5 p.m. on November 13.
ID at the polls
- The rule
Photo ID required
A voter without acceptable photo ID casts a provisional ballot, which counts only if the voter brings ID to the county board or clerk by noon on Monday, November 9. A free voter verification card is available from the county clerk.
- What to bring
Bring a photo ID issued by the U.S., Arkansas, or an accredited Arkansas college — e.g. driver's license, state ID, passport, military ID, concealed-carry license, or a free voter verification card. Expired IDs are accepted up to four years past expiration.
When will we know results in Arkansas?
How fast results come in depends mostly on when the polls close and when election officials are allowed to start on mail ballots. Totals shown on election night are unofficial until the state certifies them.
- Last polls close
7:30 p.m. Central time — 8:30 p.m. Eastern
Central time.
- Mail ballots can be processed from
Tuesday, October 27
From the Tuesday before the election, officials may open outer envelopes and process absentee paperwork (Ark. Code § 7-5-416(a)(1)).
- Mail ballots can be counted from
Tuesday, November 3
Inner envelopes may be opened and absentee ballots counted from 8:30 a.m. on Election Day. Counties must report early and absentee counts to the Secretary of State within 24 hours of polls closing.
- Counties finish their count by
Wednesday, November 18
County boards certify no earlier than 48 hours and no later than the 15th day after the election (Ark. Code § 7-5-701(a)).
- Automatic recount
None
No automatic recount. A county board may recount on its own motion.
- Requested recount
Any candidate may petition the county board for a recount of any precinct, generally within 2 days after preliminary results (or until noon on the 7th day if outstanding ballots could change the result). The candidate pays, capped at 25¢ per vote or $2,500 per county, refunded if the outcome changes. One recount per candidate per election.
Ark. Code § 7-5-319, read via FindLaw (current as of March 2024).
- Runoff
No runoff — the candidate with the most votes wins
The December 1 general runoff covers county and municipal offices, or a tie for certain state or township offices. Federal and statewide races are not decided by runoff except in a tie.
- Ranked-choice voting
Not used
Not used; runoffs are separate elections.
- Votes needed to pass a ballot measure
A simple majority
Simple majority. Ark. Const. art. 19 § 22: a proposed amendment is adopted if a majority of the electors voting on it approve (cited in the Secretary of State's notice for the 2026 referred amendment, Issue 3).
What’s on your ballot
Every contest you will vote on, from Congress to school board, with each candidate’s positions and record and the arguments for and against them.
Confirm this with the official source
Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Arkansas Secretary of State.