Arkansas Issue 2, Change State Legislative Term Limits Amendment (2020)

Arkansas Issue 2
Election date November 3, 2020
Topic Term limits and State legislatures measures
Status a Approved
Type Constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature
List of Arkansas measuresArkansas Issue 1Arkansas Issue 2Arkansas Issue 3Submit

Arkansas Issue 2, the State Legislative Term Limits Amendment, was on the ballot in Arkansas as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 3, 2020. It was approved.

A "yes" vote supported this measure to impose term limits of twelve consecutive years for state legislators with the opportunity to return after a four-year break.

A "no" vote opposed this measure, thereby keeping the state's current 16-year lifetime term limit for state legislators.

Election results

Arkansas Issue 2
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		647,861	55.38%
No		521,979	44.62%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Overview

What are term limits?

A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. There are different types of term limits. Sometimes, there is an absolute limit on the number of terms a person can serve, while in other cases, the restrictions are on the number of consecutive terms.

What is the history of term limits in Arkansas?

Arkansas voted on term limits most recently in 2014. Issue 3, approved in 2014, established the current term limits on state legislators, allowing state senators and state representatives to serve up to 16 years in the Arkansas General Assembly. The passage of Issue 3 in 2014 doubled the amount of time a lawmaker could stay in the Arkansas Senate and more than doubled the amount of time a lawmaker could stay in the House. Before 2014, term limits established under Issue 4 in 1992 allowed representatives to serve up to three two-year terms and allowed senators to serve up to two four-year terms.

In 2018, a citizen initiative sponsored by the Arkansas Term Limits Ballot Question Committee was certified for the ballot but was later invalidated after the state supreme court found that thousands of signatures gathered to qualify the measure for the ballot were not valid and should not have been counted. The committee is circulating an identical measure targeting the 2020 ballot. The proposed citizen initiative would establish term limits of six years for state representatives and eight years for state senators.

What did Issue 2 change?

This measure changed term limits of state legislators to twelve consecutive years with the opportunity to return after a four-year break. The 12-year limit applied to anyone elected in 2021 or after. As of 2019, Arkansas legislators could serve up to 16 years throughout their lifetimes in the House or Senate. Those first elected to the legislature before 2021 kept the state's existing term limit of 16 years except that they were eligible to run for election again after four years had passed under the amendment.

The chart below shows legislative term limit requirements in Arkansas (1) before 2014, (2) current requirements after the adoption of Issue 3 in 2014, (3) requirements proposed under Issue 2, and (4) requirements under a proposed 2020 citizen initiative.

	Before 2014	After 2014 (current)	With 2020 initiative	With 2020 leg. referral
For Representatives	Six years	N/A	Six years	N/A
For Senators	Eight years	N/A	Eight years	N/A
General Assembly (combined)	14 years	16-year lifetime limit	10 year lifetime limit	12 consecutive years - 4-year break
Source	Citizen initiative (1992)	Legislatively referred (2014)	Citizen initiative (2020 potential)	Legislatively referred (2020)

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Issue 2 was as follows:

“

A constitutional amendment to be known as the "Arkansas Term Limits Amendment"; and amending the term limits applicable to members of the General Assembly.

”

Ballot summary

The ballot summary, also called the Popular Name, of Issue 2 was as follows:

“

A Constitutional Amendment to Amend the Term Limits Applicable to Members of the General Assembly, to be Known as the "Arkansas Term Limits Amendment"

”

Constitutional changes

See also: Arkansas Constitution

Issue 2 amended Section 2 of Amendment 73 of the Arkansas Constitution. The following underlined text was added and struck-through text was deleted.

Note: Hover over the text and scroll to see the full text.

Insert the text of the quote here, without quotation marks.

Readability score

See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2019

Using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE) formulas, Ballotpedia scored the readability of the ballot title and summary for this measure. Readability scores are designed to indicate the reading difficulty of text. The Flesch-Kincaid formulas account for the number of words, syllables, and sentences in a text; they do not account for the difficulty of the ideas in the text. The state legislature wrote the ballot language for this measure. The FKGL for the ballot title is grade level 16, and the FRE is 20. The word count for the ballot title is 24, and the estimated reading time is 6 seconds. The FKGL for the ballot summary is grade level 16, and the FRE is 24. The word count for the ballot summary is 24, and the estimated reading time is 6 seconds.

Support

Sponsors

The amendment was sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Alan Clark (R-13) and in the House by Rep. Jim Dotson (R-93).

Supporters

Officials

• Arkansas State Senator Alan Clark (R)
• Arkansas State Representative Jim Dotson (R)

Arguments

• Arkansas State Representative and measure sponsor Jim Dotson (R-93): "The purpose of term limits is to limit power and advantages of incumbency. So if you have an incumbent who is running against someone who is not an incumbent, they obviously have a built-in advantage. After this resolution — if it is adopted and approved by the voters — is passed, after 12 years someone loses that advantage of incumbency." Dotson also said, "Really, it's trying to balance out and make it where we don't have a complete and total exodus by cutting everybody off that currently is serving, and then having a new fresh start on those subsequent years."

Opposition

Opponents

Organizations

• U.S. Term Limits

Arguments

• Arkansas State Representative John W. Walker (D-34): "That does not open it up to the public in fairness, and it does not do us well because it means that it's self-serving legislation. It is not fair. It is not reasonable. Let us, if we talk about term limits, not be hypocritical. Let us not be self-serving."
• Arkansas State Representative Vivian Flowers (D-17): "Those members who are currently serving would get to operate under the current law and serve 16 years — up to 16 years — while everyone else in the state would have to be limited to 12 years, thereby giving us in this chamber right now a definitive advantage over everybody else in the state?"
• U.S. Term Limits: "Issue 2 sounds like term limits, BUT it would allow politicians to stay in office, 20, 30, even 40 years! ... The Term Limit Amendment proposal on the 2020 ballot is a fraud perpetrated on the citizens of Arkansas by the politicians in the Arkansas Legislature. Issue 2 will eliminate lifetime term limits for Arkansas legislators, allowing them to “serve” until they die with occasional short breaks. The politicians in the legislature co-opted our amendment name in an effort to rollback legislative term limits in order to trick voters into thinking it was the citizens’ initiative."
• Tom Steele, the Chairman for Arkansas Term Limits: "The founders didn’t envision professional politicians in the legislature. They envisioned citizen legislators. You come in, you stay for a while, you do your job, you go home and you go back to your farms or wherever you’re from."

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Arkansas ballot measures

The campaign finance information on this page reflects the most recent scheduled reports that Ballotpedia has processed, which covered through November 30, 2020.

Ballotpedia identified two committees in opposition to the measure: Citizens in Charge and Liberty Initiative Fund. Together, the committees reported $26,300 in contributions and $26,300 in expenditures. Both committees are also registered to oppose Issue 3.

If you are aware of a committee registered to support this measure, please email editor@ballotpedia.org.

	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Support	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Oppose	$24,300.00	$2,000.00	$26,300.00	$24,300.00	$26,300.00
Total	$24,300.00	$2,000.00	$26,300.00	$24,300.00	$26,300.00

Opposition

The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committee in opposition to the measure.

Committees in opposition to Issue 2
Committee	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Citizens in Charge	$17,900.00	$0.00	$17,900.00	$17,900.00	$17,900.00
Liberty Initiative Fund	$6,400.00	$2,000.00	$8,400.00	$6,400.00	$8,400.00
Total	$24,300.00	$2,000.00	$26,300.00	$24,300.00	$26,300.00

Donors

The following were the top donors to the opposition campaign.

Methodology

To read Ballotpedia's methodology for covering ballot measure campaign finance information, click here.

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls and 2020 ballot measure polls

In an October 2020 poll by Talk Business & Politics and Hendrix College, 647 likely voters were asked the following question:

“

Also on the ballot this November is a proposed amendment to the Arkansas Constitution regarding term limits, known as Issue 2. Issue 2 would amend the term limits applicable to members of the General Assembly, and is known as the “Arkansas Term Limits Amendment.” If the election were being held today, would you vote for or against Issue 2?

”

Poll results are shown below:

Arkansas Issue 2
Poll	Support	Oppose	Undecided	Margin of error	Sample size
Talk Business & Politics and Hendrix College poll 10/11/20 - 10/13/20	48.0%	28.0%	24.0%	+/-4.9	647
Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Background

Term limits

See also: Term limits on the ballot

A term limit is a legal restriction that limits the number of terms a person may serve in a particular elected office. There are different types of term limits. Sometimes, there is an absolute limit on the number of terms a person can serve, while in other cases, the restrictions are merely on the number of consecutive terms.

History of term limits in Arkansas

Timeline, Arkansas state legislature term limits measures

• 1992: Proposed Amendment 4 approved
  • Established term limits for state executives, state representatives, and state senators; attempted to establish term limits for U.S. Congress members

• 1995: U.S. Supreme Court ruled in U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton
  • Overturned portion of Proposed Amendment 4 that attempted to establish term limits for members of Congress

• 2004: Proposed Amendment 1 defeated
  • Attempted to extend term limits for state senators and state representatives

• 2014: Issue 3 approved
  • Extended term limits for state senators and state representatives to a maximum of 16 years

Proposed Amendment 4, 1992

In 1992, Arkansas voters approved Proposed Amendment 4, establishing term limits for state officeholders through an initiated constitutional amendment that passed with 60 percent of the vote. Under the amendment, state executives and state senators were limited to two four-year terms, while state representatives were limited to three two-year terms. The amendment was also designed to impose limits on members of the U.S. House and Senate from Arkansas. However, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in U.S. Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton in 1995 that states could not impose stricter qualifications on members of Congress than those established by the U.S. Constitution.

Proposed Amendment 1, 2004

The Arkansas General Assembly referred a measure known as Proposed Amendment 1 to the ballot in 2004 that would have extended the term limits for state senators to three four-year terms and for state representatives to six two-year terms. The measure was defeated by 70 percent of voters, leaving the limits established under Amendment 4 in place.

Issue 3, 2014

In 2014, the Arkansas General Assembly referred Issue 3 to the ballot, a constitutional amendment designed to extend term limits for members of the state House and the state Senate and to limit lobbying efforts by former legislators as well as campaign donations and gifts from lobbyists. The measure also established an appointive seven-member commission to determine the salaries of state officials. The measure was approved with 52 percent of the vote.

Issue 3 overturned the existing term limits established under Issue 4 in 1992, allowing state senators and state representatives to serve up to 16 years in the Arkansas General Assembly.

Issue 3 of 2018

This initiative is identical to Issue 3 of 2018. Issue 3 was originally filed by Thomas Steele. The attorney general certified the ballot title in Opinion 2016-105 and approved the initiative for signature gathering on October 28, 2016. On August 3, 2018, the Arkansas Secretary of State's office announced that Issue 3 had qualified for the 2018 ballot after proponents submitted 93,998 valid signatures. A total of 84,859 were needed to qualify. On October 19, 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that thousands of signatures gathered to qualify the measure for the ballot were not valid and should not have been counted. The Supreme Court ordered elections officials not to count any votes cast for Issue 3 in the 2018 general election.

Term limits in state legislatures across the U.S.

As of 2018, fifteen state legislatures had term limits for legislators.

Hover over the map below to compare term limits by state.

All votes on state term limits in Arkansas

The chart below shows all state ballot measures related to term limits that have gone before Arkansas voters.

Year	Measure	Type	Primary purpose	Outcome	"Yes" vote percentage
1944	Proposed Amendment 38	Initiative	4-year limit for governor/lieutenant governor	d	42.18%
1950	Proposed Amendment 44	Initiative	4-year limit for state and county officers	d	35.42%
1984	Proposed Amendment 64	Initiative	4-year limit for state executive offices	a	64.25%
1992	Proposed Amendment 4	Initiative	2-term limit for state executives/senators; 3-term limit for state representatives	a	59.91%
1996	Proposed Amendment 9	Initiative	Term limits for U.S. Congress members; notation for candidates who decline to support term limits	a ot	61.21%
2004	Proposed Amendment 1	Referral	Extend limits to six terms (House) and three terms (Senate)	d	29.86%
2014	Issue 3	Referral	Extend limits to 16 years (House and Senate)	a	52.43%

Early history of term limits

See also: Use of term limits

Term limits have a long history: ancient Greece and ancient Rome, two early civilizations which had elected political offices, both imposed limits on some positions. In ancient Athenian democracy, no citizen could serve on the boule more than twice or be head of the boule more than once. In the Roman Republic, a law was passed imposing a limit of a single term on the office of Censor.

Many modern presidential republics employ term limits for their highest offices. The United States, one of the first countries of the modern era to have elected political offices, has a limit of two terms on its presidency, and on a number of other political offices as well, such as state governors and some state legislators.

Countries which operate a parliamentary system of government are less likely to employ term limits on their leaders. This is because such leaders rarely have a set "term" at all — rather, they serve as long as they have the confidence of the legislature, a period which could potentially last indefinitely. Nevertheless, such countries may impose term limits on the holders of other offices.

Election policy on the ballot in 2020

In 2020, voters in 14 states voted on 18 ballot measures addressing election-related policies. One of the measures addressed campaign finance, one were related to election dates, five addressed election systems, three addressed redistricting, five addressed suffrage, and three addressed term limits.

Click Show to read details about the election-related measures on statewide ballots in 2020.

Election-related policy ballot measures in 2020

Campaign finance See also: Campaign finance on the ballot a Oregon Measure 107: Measure 107 authorizes the state legislature and local governments to (1) enact laws or ordinances limiting campaign contributions and expenditures; (2) require disclosure of contributions and expenditures; and (3) require that political advertisements identify the people or entities that paid for them. Going into the election, Oregon was one of five states with no limits on campaign contributions. Election dates a New Mexico Constitutional Amendment 2: The amendment allowed the state legislature to pass laws adjusting the election dates of state or county officeholders and adjusting office terms according to those date changes. Under the measure, laws proposing adjustments to election dates of non-statewide officeholders must be supported by a legislative finding that such a change would promote consistency or that it would evenly distribute the number of offices appearing on the ballot. Election systems a Alaska Ballot Measure 2: Ballot Measure 2 replaced the state's partisan primaries with open top-four primaries for state executive, state legislative, and congressional offices and established ranked-choice voting for general elections, including the presidential election, in which voters would rank the candidates. Ballot Measure 2 also required persons and entities that contribute more than $2,000 that were themselves derived from donations, contributions, dues, or gifts to disclose the true sources, as defined in the law, of the political contributions. Colorado Proposition 113: In 2019, the Colorado State Legislature passed a bill to add Colorado to the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC). NPVIC member states have agreed to give the state’s electoral votes to the presidential candidate who wins the national popular vote, provided the NPVIC goes into effect. The NPVIC was designed to go into effect if states representing at least 270 electoral votes join the NPVIC. The campaign Protect Colorado's Vote filed a veto referendum to overturn the law, which resulted in Proposition 113. On November 3, voters upheld the law and voted in favor of adding Colorado to the NPVIC. d Florida Amendment 3: Amendment 3 would have replaced Florida's closed primaries with top-two open primaries for elected state offices. Under Amendment 3, all candidates would have run in the same primary election. The top-two candidates, regardless of their partisan affiliation, would have moved on to the general election under Amendment 3. d Massachusetts Question 2: Question 2 would have enacted ranked-choice voting (RCV) for primary and general elections for state executive officials, state legislators, federal congressional representatives, and certain county offices. As of 2020, statewide elections in Massachusetts used a plurality voting system. a Mississippi Ballot Measure 2: As of 2020, Mississippi required that a candidate for governor or elected state office receive the most votes in a majority of the state's 122 state House of Representatives districts (known as the electoral vote requirement). Ballot Measure 2 repealed this requirement. Instead, Ballot Measure 2 provided that a candidate for governor or state office must receive a majority vote to win and that a runoff election would be held between the two highest vote-getters in the event that no candidate receives a majority vote. Redistricting See also: Redistricting measures on the ballot a Missouri Amendment 3: In 2018, Missouri voters approved Amendment 1, the Lobbying, Campaign Finance, and Redistricting Initiative, which created the nonpartisan state demographer responsible for state legislative redistricting. Amendment 3 repealed the nonpartisan state demographer and returned the state to the use of bipartisan redistricting commissions, with changes to the number and selection of commissioners. The 2020 amendment also maintained the criteria of competitiveness and partisan fairness that was enacted in 2018, but it loosened the partisan fairness requirement and required that population, voter rights abridgment, contiguous districts, simple shapes, and the rules for counties be considered with a higher priority. a New Jersey Public Question 3: As of 2020, the New Jersey Constitution required the state legislative redistricting commission to pass a redistricting plan within a month of receiving the official census data. Question 3 postponed state legislative redistricting until after the election on November 2, 2021, should the state receive federal census data after February 15, 2021. The U.S. Census Bureau asked Congress to extend the deadline to deliver census data from April 1, 2021, to July 31, 2021, due to delays related to the coronavirus pandemic. a Virginia Question 1: Question 1 transferred the power to draw the state's congressional and legislative districts from the state legislature to a redistricting commission composed of state legislators and citizens. Going into 2020, the Virginia General Assembly was responsible for drawing the state's congressional and state legislative district boundaries. The redistricting plans were passed as legislation and subject to the governor's veto power. Suffrage See also: Suffrage on the ballot a Alabama Amendment 1: Amendment 1 amended the Alabama Constitution to state that "only a citizen of the United States," rather than "every citizen of the United States," who is 18 years old or older has the right to vote in Alabama. a California Proposition 17: Proposition 17 amended the state constitution to allow people with felonies who are on parole to vote; therefore, the ballot measure kept imprisonment as a disqualification for voting but removed parole status. Going into 2020, the California Constitution disqualified people with felonies from voting until the completion of their imprisonment and parole. d California Proposition 18: Proposition 18 would have allowed 17-year-olds who will be 18 at the time of the next general election to vote in primary elections and special elections. a Colorado Amendment 76: Amendment 76 amended the Colorado Constitution to state that “only a citizen”, instead of "every citizen", of the U.S. who is 18 years of age or older can vote in Colorado. Under the Colorado Votes Act, which went into effect in August 2019, individuals who are 17 years of age at the time of a primary election but who will be 18 years of age at the time of a general election were allowed to register to vote and vote in the primary election. According to the Colorado Blue Book, prevents 17-year-olds from voting. a Florida Amendment 1: Amendment 1 amended the Florida Constitution to state that “only a citizen” of the U.S. who is 18 years old or older can vote in Florida instead of saying that "every citizen" of the U.S. who is 18 years old or older can vote in Florida. Term limits and term lengths See also: Term limits on the ballot a Arkansas Issue 2: Issue 2 changed term limits of state legislators to twelve consecutive years with the opportunity to return after a four-year break. The 12-year limit applied to anyone elected in 2021 or after. Going into 2020, Arkansas legislators could serve up to 16 years throughout their lifetimes in the House or Senate. d Kentucky Constitutional Amendment 2: The amendment would have increased the office terms of commonwealth's attorneys from six years to eight years starting in 2030; increased the office terms of district judges from four years to eight years starting in 2022; and changed attorney licensing requirements for district judges from two years to eight years beginning in 2022. d Missouri Amendment 1: Amendment 1 would have limited the lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state auditor, and attorney general to two terms of office in a lifetime. Going into 2020, the state constitution limited the governor and state treasurer to two terms of office in a lifetime but not the other executive offices.

Path to the ballot

See also: Amending the Arkansas Constitution

To put a legislatively referred constitutional amendment before voters, a simple majority vote is required in both the Arkansas State Senate and the Arkansas House of Representatives.

The amendment was sponsored by Sen. Alan Clark (R-13) as Senate Joint Resolution 15. The state Senate approved the amendment in a vote of 27-3 with five not voting on March 26, 2019.

SJR 15 was amended and passed as amended in the House on April 2, 2019, in a vote of 51-26 with 23 not voting. Of the 24 House Democrats, 10 voted no and four voted yes, while 10 others did not vote. Of the 76 House Republicans, 47 voted in favor of the amendment, 29 voted no, and 13 did not vote. The Senate approved the amended version on April 2, 2019, in a vote of 26-5, with four not voting.

Vote in the Arkansas House of Representatives April 2, 2019
Requirement: Simple majority vote of all members in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 51  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	51	26	23
Total percent	51.0%	26.0%	23.0%
Democrat	4	10	10
Republican	47	16	13

Vote in the Arkansas State Senate April 2, 2019
Requirement: Simple majority vote of all members in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 18  a
	Yes	No	Not voting
Total	26	5	4
Total percent	74.3%	14.3%	11.4%
Democrat	5	2	2
Republican	21	3	2

Lawsuits

  

Lawsuit overview
Issue: Ballot language; whether the ballot language for the Initiative Process and Legislative Referral Requirements Amendment and the State Legislative Term Limits Amendment is inaccurate and misleading
Court: Pulaski County Circuit Court
Ruling: Dismissed by Pulaski County circuit court judge Judge Mary McGowan
Plaintiff(s): Tom Steele, chairman of the Arkansas Term Limits committee and his attorney, David Couch	Defendant(s): Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston
Plaintiff argument: The ballot language is inaccurate and misleading	Defendant argument: Unknown/no comment

  Source: Northwest Arkansas Online

Tom Steele, chairman of the Arkansas Term Limits committee and his attorney, David Couch, filed a lawsuit in Pulaski County Circuit Court on June 29, 2020, naming Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston as a defendant. Plaintiffs allege that the ballot language for the Initiative Process and Legislative Referral Requirements Amendment and the State Legislative Term Limits Amendment is inaccurate and misleading. Couch said, "The General Assembly has referred two measures, neither one of them are adequately described as what they do, how they affect the current law, and, because of that, it's really just deceptive. Those two measures don't have what is called a ballot title on them, and a ballot title tells voters exactly what they're voting for, so when they go to vote, they'll know that the term-limits amendment basically does away with term limits. And the initiative and referendum amendment, what it does is basically changes the initiative and referendum process to make it much more difficult for citizens to do."

As of June 30, Thurston had made no comment on the lawsuit, but a spokesman for the attorney general's office said the attorney general would review the lawsuit and determine the state's response. The lawsuit was dismissed by Dismissed by Pulaski County circuit court judge Judge Mary McGowan on September 9, 2020.

  

Lawsuit overview
Issue: Whether Initiative Process and Legislative Referral Requirements Amendment and the State Legislative Term Limits Amendment should be overturned
Court: Arkansas Supreme Court
Ruling: Dismissed
Plaintiff(s): Andrew Kimbrell	Defendant(s): N/A
Plaintiff argument: "Newspaper circulation and readership is at an all-time low and declining rapidly, and newspaper readers are showing little interest in the public notice section of the newspaper. That being the case, the Court must revisit whether the newspaper publication requirement under [the Arkansas Constitution] is sufficient to sustain the presumption of informed voters."	Defendant argument: Unknown/no comment

  Source: Northwest Arkansas Online

Andrew Kimbrell filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn Initiative Process and Legislative Referral Requirements Amendment and the State Legislative Term Limits Amendment. Kimbrell's attorney argued, "Newspaper circulation and readership is at an all-time low and declining rapidly, and newspaper readers are showing little interest in the public notice section of the newspaper. That being the case, the Court must revisit whether the newspaper publication requirement under [the Arkansas Constitution] is sufficient to sustain the presumption of informed voters."

The lawsuit was dismissed. Justice Karen Baker said, "The amendment was presented to the voters, the voters cast their ballots, the votes have been counted, the amendment was approved, and the deadline for the county boards of election commissioners to certify the election has passed. Accordingly, a judgment by this court will have no practical legal effect; therefore, the issue is moot."

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Arkansas

Click "Show" to learn more about voter registration, identification requirements, and poll times in Arkansas.

How to cast a vote in Arkansas

The information below covers regular voting policies in the state. Information may have not applied to the election on November 3, 2020, because of temporary changes in response to coronavirus. Click here to read about changes made for the 2020 elections. Poll times In Arkansas, all polls are open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote. Registration requirements Check your voter registration status here. To vote in Arkansas, one must be a citizen of the United States and a resident of Arkansas. A voter must be 18 years of age or older on or before Election Day, not be a convicted felon whose sentence has not been discharged or pardoned, and not be adjudged as mentally incompetent. Registration must be completed no later than 30 days before the election in which a voter wishes to participate. Citizens must complete and submit a voter registration application to their county clerk or other authorized voter registration agency. For voters that submit applications by mail, the date of postmark will be considered the submission date. Applications may be obtained at the following locations: County clerk's office The Arkansas Secretary of State Elections Division Local revenue or DMV office Public library Disability agency Military recruitment office Online Automatic registration Arkansas does not practice automatic voter registration. Online registration See also: Online voter registration Arkansas does not permit online voter registration. Same-day registration Arkansas does not allow same-day voter registration. Residency requirements Arkansas law requires 30 days of residency in the state before a person may vote. Verification of citizenship See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States Arkansas does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, a voter who provides false information "may be subject to a fine of up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 10 years under state and federal laws." All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters. Verifying your registration The site Voter View, run by the Arkansas Secretary of State's office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online. Voter ID requirements Arkansas requires voters to present photo identification while voting. The identification must include the voter’s name and photograph. It must be issued by "the United States, the State of Arkansas, or an accredited postsecondary educational institution in the State of Arkansas." If the identification has an expiration date on it, it cannot be expired for "more than four (4) years before the date of the election in which the voter seeks to vote." The following list of accepted ID was current as of July 2024. Click here for the Arkansas Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information. Driver’s license Photo identification card Concealed handgun carry license United States passport Employee badge or identification document issued by an accredited postsecondary education institution in the State of Arkansas United States military identification document Public assistance identification card if it has a photograph Voter verification card as provided under Ark. Code § 7-5-324 "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," according to the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office. Voters can obtain a voter verification card at their county clerk's office: "[V]oters will be required to complete an affidavit stating they do not possess such identification, and must provide documentation containing their full legal name and date of birth, as well as documentation containing their name and residential address."

See also

2020 measures

• 2020 ballot measures
• Term limits on the ballot
• State legislatures measures on the ballot

Arkansas

• Arkansas ballot measures
• Arkansas ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls

External links

• SJR 15 overview
• SJR 15 Full text
• Proposed and Referred Ballot Measures for the 2020 General Election
• Issue 2 information