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Arkansas Issue 2, Voter ID Amendment (2018)

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Arkansas Issue 2
Flag of Arkansas.png
Election date
November 6, 2018
Topic
Voting policy measures
Status
Approveda Approved
Type
Constitutional amendment		Origin
State legislature

Arkansas Issue 2, the Voter ID Amendment, was on the ballot in Arkansas as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 6, 2018.[1] The measure was approved.

A "yes" vote supported this amendment to require individuals to present valid photo ID to cast non provisional ballots in person or absentee.
A "no" vote opposed this amendment to require individuals to present valid photo ID to cast non provisional ballots in person or absentee.

Election results

Arkansas Issue 2

Result Votes Percentage

Approved Yes

692,622 79.47%
No 178,936 20.53%
Results are officially certified.
Source

Overview

Status of voter IDs in Arkansas

Issue 2 was proposed in response to the 2014 decision by the Arkansas Supreme Court striking down a voter photo ID statute—Senate Bill 2—which was passed in 2013.[2][3] The court determined that the statute created a fifth qualification for voting not found in the Arkansas Constitution and overturned it.[4] In 2017, the state legislature passed another voter ID state statute—House Bill 1047. HB 1047 was designed to require election officials to ask to see a valid photo ID, but also to provide an alternative: voters who didn't provide photo IDs could sign a sworn statement, and their votes would be counted following a comparison of the voter's signature and the signature from his or her registration made by county officials after the election. On April 26, 2018, however, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Alice Gray ruled that HB 1047 was unconstitutional and granted a preliminary injunction against it.[5]

The state legislature referred the Voter ID Amendment to the ballot mostly along party lines; 70 of 76 Republicans and three of 24 Democrats supported the amendment in the House, and 23 of 26 Republicans and one of nine Democrats supported the amendment in the Senate. Issue 2 explicitly established photo identification as a constitutionally required qualification for voting, which prevented challenges to laws—such as House Bill 1047 or other statutes—passed by the state legislature to establish photo ID requirements for voting.

Amendment design

Issue 2 required individuals to present valid photo ID to cast non provisional ballots in person or absentee. The amendment empowered the state legislature to determine what types of photographic identification count as valid and whether exceptions to the requirement should be made. The measure also required the state to provide valid photographic identification free of charge to eligible voters. Individuals who attempted to vote without valid photo identification were permitted to cast provisional ballots, which needed to be certified later to count.[1]

Status of voter ID policy in the United States

Going into 2018, 34 states enforced or were scheduled to begin enforcing voter identification requirements. Arkansas was one of these, but a judge ruled its voter id law unconstitutional and provided an injunction against enforcing it. A total of 17 states required voters to present photo identification, while 16 accepted other forms of identification, as of April 2018.[6]

On January 4, 2018, President Trump tweeted, "As Americans, you need identification, sometimes in a very strong and accurate form, for almost everything you do.....except when it comes to the most important thing, VOTING for the people that run your country. Push hard for Voter Identification!"[7]

Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who is now the chair of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), included voter ID laws among tactics he said Republicans were using to improve results for Republicans at midterm elections: “Republicans seem to come up with a whole variety of ways in which they want to restrict the number of people who get to the polls. And that’s just not good for democracy. It seems to me that Republicans see that they can’t necessarily win the game, so they’re trying to change the rules."[8]

What did supporters and opponents say?

Proponents of Issue 2 argued that requiring photo identification to vote prevents voter fraud and protects voter security.[9]

Opponents of Issue 2 argued that requiring photo identification to vote discourages voters and reduces turnout, especially among minorities and senior citizens.[10]

Text of measure

Popular name

The popular name for Issue 2 was as follows:[1]

“ A Constitutional Amendment Adding as a Qualification to Vote that a Voter Present Certain Valid Photographic Identification When Casting a Ballot In Person or Casting an Absentee Ballot.[11] ”

Ballot title

The ballot title for Issue 2 was as follows:[1]

“ An amendment to the Arkansas Constitution concerning the presentation of valid photographic identification when voting; requiring that a voter present valid photographic identification when voting in person or when casting an absentee ballot; and providing that the State of Arkansas issue photographic identification at no charge to eligible voters lacking photographic identification.[11] ”

Constitutional changes

See also: Article 3, Arkansas Constitution

Issue 2 amended Section 1 of Article 3 of the Arkansas Constitution. The following underlined text was added:[1] Note: Hover over the text and scroll to see the full text.

Qualifications of Electors

(a) Except as otherwise provided by this Constitution, any person may vote in an election in this state who is:

(1) A citizen of the United States;

(2) A resident of the State of Arkansas;

(3) At least eighteen (18) years of age; and

(4) Lawfully registered to vote in the election.

(b)(1) In addition to the qualifications under subsection (a) of this section, the General Assembly shall provide by law that a voter shall:

(A) Present valid photographic identification before receiving a ballot to vote in person; and

(B) Enclose a copy of valid photographic identification with his or her ballot when voting by absentee ballot.

(2) The General Assembly shall establish by law the types of photographic identification that a person may present to comply with subdivision (b)(1) of this section.

(c) The State of Arkansas shall issue photographic identification at no charge to an eligible voter who does not have a form of photographic identification meeting the requirements of the law enacted by the General Assembly under this section.

(d)(1)(A) A voter unable to present valid photographic identification when voting in person shall be permitted to vote a provisional ballot.

(B) An absentee ballot that is not accompanied by a copy of valid photographic identification shall be considered a provisional ballot.

(2) A provisional ballot under subdivision (d)(1) of this section shall be counted only if the voter subsequently certifies the provisional ballot in a manner provided by law.

(e)(1) The General Assembly shall implement the provisions of this amendment by law.

(2) The General Assembly may provide by law for exceptions to the requirement that a voter:

(A) Present valid photographic identification before receiving a ballot to vote in person; and

(B) Enclose a copy of valid photographic identification with his or her ballot when voting by absentee ballot.

(f) A voter meeting the requirements of this section also shall comply with all additional laws regulating elections necessary for his or her vote to be counted.[11]

Readability score

See also: Ballot measure readability scores, 2018
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 32, and the FRE is -39.5. The word count for the ballot title is 52, and the estimated reading time is 13 seconds.

In 2018, for the 167 statewide measures on the ballot, the average ballot title or question was written at a level appropriate for those with between 19 and 20 years of U.S. formal education (graduate school-level of education), according to the FKGL formula. Read Ballotpedia's entire 2018 ballot language readability report here.

Support

Sponsors in the Legislature

Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R-87) was the measure's lead sponsor.

The following elected officials sponsored the amendment in the state legislature:[12]

Arguments

  • Rep. Robin Lundstrum (R-87), the amendment's lead legislative sponsor, said, “At every single step in life — using a credit card, checking in at a hotel — we have an ID. And the reason being, for security. The one thing we don’t have a mandated required ID is when we go to the ballot box. Our whole system is built on voter security.”[9]

Opposition

Opponents

Arguments

  • Sen. Linda Chesterfield (D-30), who voted against the amendment in the legislature, pointed to the enactment of voter identification requirements across the nation and said, "Too much of the effect has been to disenfranchise large numbers of minorities, especially senior citizens."[10]

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Arkansas ballot measures
Total campaign contributions:
Support: $0.00
Opposition: $0.00

Ballotpedia identified two committees registered to oppose Issue 2: Let the Story Begin and Indivisible Little Rock and Central Arkansas LQC. Neither committee reported any contributions or expenditures.[14] Ballotpedia did not identify any committees registered to support the measure.

Polls

See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls and 2018 ballot measure polls

A September 2018 poll conducted by Talk Business & Politics and Hendrix College asked 1,701 likely Arkansas voters the following question:[15]

“

Issue 2 is a constitutional amendment, referred by the General Assembly, that would require voters in Arkansas to present valid photo identification when casting a ballot. If the election were today, would you vote for or against Issue 2?[11]

”

The results of the poll are below:[15]

Arkansas Issue 2
Poll Support OpposeDon't knowMargin of errorSample size
Talk Business & Politics- Hendrix College
9/5/18 - 9/7/18		 71.0%21.0%8.0%+/-2.41,701
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

Voter ID requirements in Arkansas

See also: Voting in Arkansas
Election Policy

As of 2018, a voter in Arkansas is asked to present ID at the polls, but he or she is not required to do so in order to cast a non provisional ballot. This process had been in place since House Bill 1479 was enacted in 1999. In 2013, the state government enacted Senate Bill 2, a photo ID requirement, but the Arkansas Supreme Court struck down the bill as violating the Arkansas Constitution. In March 2017, the government passed House Bill 1047, which, like Senate Bill 2, was designed to require a photo ID to cast a non provisional ballot. HB 1047 was also different from SB 2 in several ways and provided an alternative method through a provisional ballot and signature comparison for voters without the required photo identification.

House Bill 1479 was signed into law in 1999, when Democrats controlled both chambers of the legislature and the governor was Republican Mike Huckabee. Senate Bill 2 was enacted in 2013. Republicans controlled the legislature in 2013 and were able to override Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe's veto. The 2018 constitutional amendment and House Bill 1047 were passed under a Republican trifecta, meaning Republicans controlled the House, Senate, and governor's office. Arkansas became a Republican trifecta following the 2014 election of Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R).

HB 1479 SB 2 Issue 2 HB 1047
Governor R D R R
Senate D R R R
House D R R R

House Bill 1479

In April 1999, Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) signed House Bill 1479 (HB 1479), enacted as Public Act 1454, which required that precinct election officials request to see a document confirming the voter's identification. The bill was designed to allow a voter without appropriate identification to cast a non provisional ballot. However, the bill required election officials to make a note on the precinct registration list that the voter did not provide appropriate identification. HB 1479 authorized the County Board of Election Commissioners to review the notes and send information to a prosecuting attorney tasked with investigating potential voter fraud.[16]

Senate Bill 2

On March 19, 2013, the Arkansas Senate sent a photo voter identification bill (SB 2) to Gov. Mike Beebe (D) for final approval. The Senate voted 22-12 in agreement with a House amendment to the measure. On March 25, 2013, Gov. Beebe rejected the bill, saying it "unnecessarily restricts and impairs our citizens' right to vote." Gov. Beebe also noted that the implementation costs would rise to $300,000.[17][18][19]

On March 27, 2013, the Arkansas Senate voted 21-12, along party lines, to override the governor's veto. On April 1, 2013, the Arkansas House of Representatives voted 52-45 override Gov. Beebe's veto. The new law took effect January 1, 2014. On April 16, 2014, the American Civil Liberties Union of Arkansas and the Arkansas Public Law Center filed a lawsuit on behalf of four plaintiffs who did not possess photo IDs, or elected not to show them, when they went to vote and were thus given provisional ballots that were not counted. The lawsuit sought to overturn the state's voter ID law on the grounds that it violated the Arkansas Constitution, which states that no law may be enacted that could impair or forfeit a citizen's right to vote.[20][21][22][23]

On April 24, 2014, the 6th Judicial Circuit Court in Pulaski County ruled that the state legislature had exceeded its authority in implementing the voter ID bill, as it conflicted with the Arkansas Constitution. The law remained in effect for the primary election that took place on May 20, 2014.[24][25]

On October 15, 2014, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled that the voter ID law was unconstitutional.[26][27] The court determined that SB 2 imposed an additional qualification upon voters beyond the four qualifications - (a) citizen of U.S., (b) resident of Arkansas, (c) at least 18 years of age, and (d) lawfully registered to vote - found in the Section 1 of Article 3 of the Arkansas Constitution. The ruling stated, "For approximately 150 years, this court has remained steadfast in its adherence to the strict interpretation of the requisite voter qualifications articulated in the Arkansas Constitution."[28]

Justice Courtney Hudson Goodson concurred with the majority's opinion, but also added that SB 2 was intended to add new text to Amendment 51 of the Arkansas Constitution. Amendment 51 was adopted in 1964, when voters passed an initiated amendment to implement voter registration without a poll tax. Amendment 51 contained a section allowing the state legislature to amend the constitutional amendment "so long as such amendments are germane to the amendment, and consistent with its policies and purposes," and "in the same manner as required for amendment of laws initiated by the people." As a two-thirds vote is required to amend initiated statutes, a two-thirds vote was required to amend Amendment 51. SB 2 did not receive a two-thirds vote in both chambers of the legislature, and therefore failed to pass, according to Justice Goodson.[28]

As SB 2 was struck down as unconstitutional, an earlier non-strict voter identification bill, House Bill 1479, remained in effect.

House Bill 1047

In March 2017, the state legislature approved House Bill 1047 (HB 1047)—a bill designed to require each voter to present a valid photo ID when voting in person or absentee.[29] Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) signed the bill on March 24, 2017. The governor compared HB 1047 to the struck-down SB 2, saying, "This law is different, in a number of ways, than the previous law, which was struck down by the Supreme Court. It should hold up under any court review. For those reasons, I signed the bill into law."[30]

One of the reasons that SB 2 was struck down was that the two-thirds vote requirement was not met. HB 1047 received a two-thirds vote in each legislative chamber. In the Senate, 25 of 35 (71 percent) senators voted in favor. In the House, 73 of 100 (73 percent) representatives concurred with both of the Senate's amendments to the bill.[31]

HB 1047 detailed the following requirements for voter IDs: (a) shows the name of the person; (b) shows a photograph of the person; (c) issued by the United States, state of Arkansas, or an accredited postsecondary educational institution in Arkansas; and (d) not expired or expired no more than four years before the election date. HB 1047 allowed voters without valid IDs to sign sworn statements confirming one's identity, and later have their signatures compared to the signature on file with the county, to vote.[29]

HB 1047 was required to take effect 90 days after the legislature adjourned in 2017, with the state's primary on May 22, 2018, being the first applicable statewide election. A lawsuit was filed against HB 1047 in early February challenging its constitutionality with similar arguments used in the case against Senate Bill 2. On April 26, 2018, Pulaski County Circuit Judge Alice Gray ruled that HB 1047 was unconstitutional and granted a preliminary injunction against it, meaning it could not be enforced for the May 22 primary election. State lawyers appealed the ruling to the Arkansas Supreme Court.[5][32][33] On May 2, 2018, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled six to one that the state could enforce the voter ID requirements in the May 22 primary election. According to the Associated Press, both sides were expected to file briefs in the appeal in June.[34]

Voter ID requirements in other states

See also: Voter identification laws by state

Going into 2018, 34 states enforced or were scheduled to begin enforcing voter identification requirements. Arkansas was one of these, but a court ruling against its voter id law brought the number down to 33. A total of 17 states required voters to present photo identification, while 16 accepted other forms of identification, as of April 2018. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, voter ID requirements come in two general forms: strict and non-strict. Under strict requirements, a voter who does not possess the required form of identification may be required to cast a provisional ballot. Under non-strict requirements, a voter who does not have the necessary identification may still vote without casting a provisional ballot.[6] The voter identification law enacted in 1999, House Bill 1479, authorized a non-strict non-photo ID. The Arkansas Voter ID Amendment of 2018 would require the state to establish a strict photo ID requirement.

Note: The map below displays only those states that require already-registered voters to present identification at the polls on Election Day. Federal law requires a new registrant to provide either a driver's license number or the last four digits of his or her Social Security number at the time of registration.

Voter ID as a national issue

On January 4, 2018, President Trump tweeted, "As Americans, you need identification, sometimes in a very strong and accurate form, for almost everything you do.....except when it comes to the most important thing, VOTING for the people that run your country. Push hard for Voter Identification!"[7]

Former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who is now the chair of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), included voter ID laws among tactics he said Republicans were using to improve results for Republicans at midterm elections: “Republicans seem to come up with a whole variety of ways in which they want to restrict the number of people who get to the polls. And that’s just not good for democracy. It seems to me that Republicans see that they can’t necessarily win the game, so they’re trying to change the rules." The NDRC describes its mission as "to build a comprehensive plan to favorably position Democrats for the redistricting process through 2022."[8]

Hans von Spakovsky, a member of the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity while it operated, responded to Holder saying, “(Holder’s) assuming that laws — for example, asking (voters) for IDs — that that’s being done by Republicans in order to prevent people from voting. And I just don’t think there's proof that shows that."[8]

Other voter ID measures

See also: Elections and campaigns on the ballot

In 2010, Oklahoma became the first state to pass a ballot measure designed to require voter identification at the polls. The measure was a state statute. Known as State Question 746, voters passed the measure 74 percent to 26 percent. The measure required that officials ask voters to present a government-issued identification document containing the voter's name and a photograph. State Question 746 allowed voters without appropriate identification to sign a sworn statement and cast a provisional ballot that election officials would later cross-check with registered voter rolls.

Mississippi passed Initiative 27 in 2012. Over 62 percent of voters cast ballots in favor of the initiative. The initiated constitutional amendment required voters to show a government-issued photo identification document before being allowed to vote. The measure exempted voters living in state-licensed care facilities from needing identification and allowed voters with religious objections to being photographed and voters who have, but are unable to present, a government-issued photo identification to cast affidavit ballots. Initiative 27 required those who cast affidavit ballots to sign an affidavit in a circuit court within five days following the election.

Voters in Minnesota defeated a constitutional amendment, titled Amendment 2, to require voter identification before voting. The vote was 46 percent to 54 percent. Amendment 2 would have required a government-issued photo identification document to vote in person and a government-issued non-photo identification document to vote absentee. Minnesota would have been required to provide government-issued photo identification documents free of charge to eligible voters. Voters without valid identification documents would have been permitted to cast provisional ballots.

In 2016, 63 percent of Missouri voters approved Amendment 6. The amendment itself did not require a voter identification document, but rather authorized the Missouri State Legislature to develop and pass a statute requiring one.

State Year Initiative Type Yes (%) No (%)
Oklahoma 2010 Question 746 Statute 74.34% 25.66%
Mississippi 2011 Initiative 27 Amendment 62.07% 37.93%
Minnesota 2012 Amendment 2 Amendment 46.16% 53.84%
Missouri 2016 Amendment 6 Amendment 63.01% 36.99%
Average 61.40% 38.60%

Election policy on the ballot in 2018


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Electoral system
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Voters considered ballot measures addressing election policy in 15 states in 2018.

Redistricting:

See also: Redistricting measures on the ballot
  • Missouri Amendment 1, Lobbying, Campaign Finance, and Redistricting Initiative (2018) Approveda - The PAC Clean Missouri collected signatures to get the initiated amendment on the ballot. The measure made changes to the state's lobbying laws, campaign finance limits for state legislative candidates, and legislative redistricting process. The position of nonpartisan state demographer was created. Amendment 1 made the demographer responsible for drawing legislative redistricting maps and presenting them to the House and Senate apportionment commissions.

Voting requirements and ballot access:

  • Florida Amendment 4, Voting Rights Restoration for Felons Initiative (2018) Approveda - The committee Floridians for a Fair Democracy collected more than the required 766,200 signatures to get Amendment 4 placed on the ballot. The measure was designed to automatically restore the right to vote for people with prior felony convictions, except those convicted of murder or a felony sexual offense, upon completion of their sentences, including prison, parole, and probation. It was approved.
  • North Carolina Voter ID Amendment (2018) Approveda - This amendment was referred to the ballot by the state legislature along party lines with Republicans voting in favor of it and Democrats voting against it. It created a constitutional requirement that voters present a photo ID to vote in person. It was approved.

Arkansas Issue 3, a legislative term limits initiative, was certified for the ballot but was blocked by an Arkansas Supreme Court ruling. The measure would have imposed term limits of six years for members of the Arkansas House of Representatives and eight years for members of the Arkansas Senate. The ruling came too late to remove the measure from the ballot, but the supreme court ordered election officials to not count or certify votes for Issue 3.

Campaign finance, political spending, and ethics:

  • Colorado Amendment 75, Campaign Contribution Limits Initiative (2018) Defeatedd - Proponents collected more than the required 136,328 valid signatures and met the state's distribution requirement to qualify this initiative for the ballot. The measure would have established that if any candidate for state office directs (by loan or contribution) more than one million dollars in support of his or her own campaign, then every candidate for the same office in the same primary or general election may accept five times the aggregate amount of campaign contributions normally allowed. It was defeated.


Referred amendments on the ballot

From 1996 through 2016, the state legislature referred 27 constitutional amendments to the ballot. Voters approved 21 and rejected six of the referred amendments. All of the amendments were referred to the ballot for general elections during even-numbered election years. The average number of amendments appearing on the general election ballot was between two and three. The state legislature is allowed to refer up to three constitutional amendments to the ballot for each general election. The approval rate of referred amendments at the ballot box was 77.8 percent during the 20-year period from 1996 through 2016. The rejection rate was 22.2 percent.

Legislatively-referred constitutional amendments, 1996-2016
Total number Approved Percent approved Defeated Percent defeated Annual average Annual median Annual minimum Annual maximum
27 21 77.78% 6 22.22% 2.45 3.00 1 3

Path to the ballot

See also: Amending the Arkansas Constitution

In Arkansas, a proposed constitutional amendment must be approved by a simple majority in both houses of the state legislature during one legislative session. The amendment was introduced into the legislature as House Joint Resolution 1016 on February 8, 2017. The House of Representatives approved the amendment, 73 to 21 with six representatives not voting, on February 23, 2017.[35] The Senate approved the measure, 24 to 8 with three senators not voting, on March 7, 2017.[36] The bill was enrolled the following day, March 8.[12]

The 2017 legislative session ran from January 9, 2017, through April 3, 2017.

Vote in the Arkansas House of Representatives
February 23, 2017
Requirement: Simple majority vote of all members in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 67  Approveda
YesNoNot voting
Total73216
Total percent73.00%21.00%6.00%
Democrat3210
Republican7006
Vote in the Arkansas State Senate
March 7, 2017
Requirement: Simple majority vote of all members in each chamber
Number of yes votes required: 24  Approveda
YesNoNot voting
Total2483
Total percent68.57%22.86%8.57%
Democrat180
Republican2303

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Arkansas

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.[37]

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.[38]

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:[38]

  • 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."[39]

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.[40] 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."[38]

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.[38]

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."[41]

State profile

Demographic data for Arkansas
 ArkansasU.S.
Total population:2,977,853316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):52,0353,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:78%73.6%
Black/African American:15.5%12.6%
Asian:1.4%5.1%
Native American:0.6%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0.2%0.2%
Two or more:2.1%3%
Hispanic/Latino:6.9%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:84.8%86.7%
College graduation rate:21.1%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$41,371$53,889
Persons below poverty level:22.9%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Arkansas.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Arkansas

Arkansas voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Arkansas, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.[42]

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Arkansas had one Retained Pivot County, 0.55 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.

More Arkansas coverage on Ballotpedia

See also

External links

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Arkansas 2018 Voter ID Amendment. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

Arkansas Issue 2, Voter ID Amendment (2018) - Google News

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Arkansas Legislature, "House Joint Resolution 1016," accessed February 23, 2017
  2. ↑ The Republic, "House panel advances plan to reinstate Arkansas voter ID law," January 25, 2017
  3. ↑ U.S. News, "Arkansas Lawmakers Put Voter ID Measure on 2018 Ballot," March 7, 2017
  4. ↑ Arkansas News, "Arkansas House approves voter ID bill," February 23, 2017
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Connecticut Post, "Arkansas judge blocks state's revived voter ID law," April 26, 2018
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 National Conference of State Legislatures, "Voter Identification Requirements|Voter ID Laws," accessed December 9, 2016
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 USA Today, "Trump, after killing his 'voter fraud' commission, calls for new ID laws," January 4, 2018
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 McClatchy Washington Bureau, "Fights over voting rights a prelude to November midterm election," February 13, 2018
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Arkansas Matters, "House Committee Selects Voter ID Measure as Proposed Constitutional Amendment," February 22, 2017
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, "Voter-ID measure to be on '18 ballot," March 8, 2017
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source. Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Arkansas Legislature, "HJR 1016 Overview," accessed February 23, 2017
  13. ↑ Our Revolution, "Ballot initiative endorsements," accessed September 22, 2018
  14. ↑ Arkansas Ethics Committee, "Ballot Measure Committees," accessed December 6, 2018
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Talk Business & Politics, "Poll: Overwhelming support for voter ID, term limits; tort reform 2-to-1 against," accessed September 16, 2018
  16. ↑ Arkansas Legislature, "House Bill 1454," accessed March 8, 2017
  17. ↑ Arkansas News Bureau, "UPDATE Senate sends voter ID bill to governor," March 19, 2013
  18. ↑ CNN, "Arkansas governor rejects voter ID measure," March 25, 2013
  19. ↑ Associated Press, "Arkansas Senate overrides veto of voter ID bill," March 27, 2013
  20. ↑ Arkansas Times, "ACLU of Arkansas files suit over voter I.D. law," April 16, 2014
  21. ↑ Associated Press, "Arkansas: Veto of Voter ID Law Is Overridden," April 1, 2013
  22. ↑ Associated Press, "Arkansas' GOP-led Legislature passes voter ID law," April 1, 2013
  23. ↑ Arkansasmatters.com, "Voter ID Law Rules Approved, ACLU Promises Challenge," October 9, 2013
  24. ↑ Ballot Access News, "Arkansas State Trial Court Says Government Photo-ID Law Violates Arkansas Constitution," April 24, 2014
  25. ↑ MSNBC, "Arkansas voter ID law causes chaos and confusion," May 22, 2014
  26. ↑ USA Today, "Arkansas high court invalidates voter ID," October 15, 2014
  27. ↑ The Huffington Post, "Arkansas Supreme Court Strike Down Voter ID Law," October 15, 2014
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Arkansas Supreme Court, "Martin et al. v. Kohls et al.," October 15, 2014
  29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Arkansas Legislature, "House Bill 1047," accessed March 27, 2017
  30. ↑ The Kansas City Star, "Arkansas governor signs bill reinstating voter ID law," March 24, 2017
  31. ↑ Arkansas Legislature, "House Bill 1047 Overview," accessed March 27, 2017
  32. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Lawsuit
  33. ↑ Arkansas Online, "Order blocking voter ID law appealed," accessed April 28, 2018
  34. ↑ AP News, "Arkansas Supreme Court says state can enforce voter ID law," accessed May 2, 2018
  35. ↑ KATV, "Arkansas House passes plan to voter ID resolution," February 23, 2017
  36. ↑ Arkansas Times, "Senate sends voter ID amendment to 2018 ballot," March 7, 2017
  37. ↑ Arkansas Code, "Title 7, Chapter 5, Subchapter 304," accessed April 3, 2023
  38. ↑ 38.0 38.1 38.2 38.3 Arkansas Secretary of State, "Voter Registration Information," accessed July 29, 2024
  39. ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Arkansas Voter Registration Application," accessed November 1, 2024
  40. ↑ Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
  41. ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed July 29, 2024
  42. ↑ The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.
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