Arkansas gubernatorial election, 2018 (May 22 Democratic primary)
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 9
- Early voting: Oct. 22 - Nov. 5
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 5
- Online registration: No
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: Photo ID required (preliminary injunction issued on April 26, 2018)
- Poll times: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
2022 →
← 2014
|
| Governor of Arkansas |
|---|
 |
| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: March 1, 2018 |
| Primary: May 22, 2018 Primary runoff: June 19, 2018 (if needed) General: November 6, 2018 Pre-election incumbent(s): Asa Hutchinson (Republican) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Voting in Arkansas |
| Race ratings |
Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Republican Inside Elections: Solid Republican |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| Federal and state primary competitiveness State executive elections in 2018 Impact of term limits in 2018 State government trifectas State government triplexes Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018 |
| Arkansas executive elections |
| Governor Lieutenant governor |
A Democratic Party primary election took place on May 22, 2018, in Arkansas to determine which candidate would run as the party's nominee in the state's November 6, 2018, gubernatorial election. If no candidate had received more than 50 percent of the vote, the top two candidates would have advanced to a runoff election on June 19, 2018.
For more information about gubernatorial elections in 2018, click here.
| SETTING THE STAGE | |
Arkansas was one of 36 states that held an election for governor in 2018. Democrats gained seven previously Republican-held seats, and Republicans gained one previously independent-held seat. Heading into the 2018 elections, there were 16 Democratic governors, 33 Republican governors, and one independent governor. In 2018, 26 of the 33 states with a Republican governor held a gubernatorial election, while nine out of the 16 states with a Democratic governor held a gubernatorial election. Seventeen of the 36 seats up for election were open seats (four Democratic, 12 Republican, and one independent), meaning that the sitting governor was not seeking re-election. Click here for more information on other 2018 gubernatorial elections.
Candidates and election results
Jared Henderson defeated Leticia Sanders in the Democratic primary for Governor of Arkansas on May 22, 2018.
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Governor of Arkansas
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Jared Henderson  | 63.3 | 67,046 |
 | Leticia Sanders | 36.7 | 38,873 | |
| Total votes: 105,919 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Context of the 2018 election
Past elections
2014
- See also: Arkansas gubernatorial election, 2014
In the 2014 Democratic primary, Mike Ross defeated Lynette Bryant by a 68.8 percent margin.[1]
| Governor of Arkansas, Democratic Primary, 2014 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
 Mike Ross |
84.4% | 129,437 | ||
| Lynette Bryant | 15.6% | 23,906 | ||
| Total Votes | 153,343 | |||
| Election results via Arkansas Secretary of State. | ||||
Voter information
How the primary works
A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Arkansas utilizes an open primary system. Registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[2][3]
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.
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.[4]
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.[5]
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:[5]
- 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
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."[6]
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.[7] 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."[5]
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.[5]
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."[8]
Early voting
Arkansas permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.
Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.
Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.
Absentee voting
Arkansas voters are eligible to vote absentee/mail-in in an election if they cannot make it to the polls on Election Day for one of the following reasons:[9]
- The voter will be "unavoidably absent" from his or her polling location on Election Day.
- The voter is physically unable to visit his or her polling location on Election Day due to illness or disability.
- The voter is a member of the armed services, merchant marines, or is the spouse or dependent of such an individual and "are away from your polling location due to the member’s active duty status."
- The voter is temporarily living outside the United States.
To vote absentee/mail-in, a request must be received by elections officials either seven days prior to the election (if submitted by mail or fax), by the Friday before the election (if submitted in person), or by 1:30 p.m. on the day of the election if the request is made by an authorized agent for a voter confined in a hospital or nursing home. The deadline to return an absentee/mail-in ballot is by close of business the Friday before the election if returned in person, or received by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day if submitted by mail or by an authorized agent. Military and overseas voters must complete their ballot by Election Day and they must be received by their county clerk by 5:00 p.m. 10 days after the election.[9][10][11]
State overview
Partisan control
This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Arkansas heading into the 2018 elections.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2016 elections, Republicans held both U.S. Senate seats in Arkansas.
- Republicans held all four U.S. House seats in Arkansas.
State executives
- As of September 2018, Republicans held six of 12 state executive positions. The remaining positions were officially nonpartisan.
- The governor of Arkansas was Republican Asa Hutchinson. The state held elections for governor and lieutenant governor on November 6, 2018.
State legislature
- Republicans controlled both chambers of the Arkansas General Assembly. They had a 75-24 majority in the state House and a 25-9 majority in the state Senate.
Trifecta status
- Arkansas was a Republican trifecta, meaning that the Republican Party controlled the office of the governor, the state House, and the state Senate.
2018 elections
- See also: Arkansas elections, 2018
Arkansas held elections for the following positions in 2018:
- Four U.S. House seats
- Governor and lieutenant governor
- Five lower state executive positions
- 18 of 35 state Senate seats
- 100 state House seats
Demographics
| Demographic data for Arkansas | ||
|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 2,977,853 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 52,035 | 3,531,905 |
| 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. | ||
As of July 2016, Arkansas' three largest cities were Little Rock (pop. est. 198,606), Ft. Smith (pop. est. 88,037), and Fayetteville (pop. est. 85,257).[12][13]
State election history
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Arkansas from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Arkansas Secretary of State.
Historical elections
Presidential elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Arkansas every year from 2000 to 2016.
| Election results (President of the United States), Arkansas 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 |  Donald Trump |
60.6% |  Hillary Clinton |
33.7% | 26.9% |
| 2012 | Mitt Romney |
60.6% | Barack Obama |
36.9% | 23.7% |
| 2008 | John McCain |
58.7% | Barack Obama |
38.9% | 19.8% |
| 2004 | George W. Bush |
54.3% | John Kerry |
44.6% | 9.7% |
| 2000 | George W. Bush |
51.3% | Al Gore |
45.9% | 5.4% |
U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Arkansas from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
| Election results (U.S. Senator), Arkansas 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 | John Boozman |
59.8% | Conner Eldridge |
36.2% | 23.6% |
| 2014 | Tom Cotton |
56.5% | Mark Pryor |
39.4% | 22.9% |
| 2010 | John Boozman |
57.9% | Blanche Lincoln |
37.0% | 1.6% |
| 2008 | Mark Pryor |
79.5% |  Rebekah Kennedy(Green Party) |
20.5% | 59.0% |
| 2004 | Blanche Lincoln |
55.9% | Jim Holt |
44.1% | 11.8% |
| 2002 | Mark Pryor |
53.9% | Tim Hutchinson |
46.1% | 7.8% |
Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Arkansas.
| Election results (Governor), Arkansas 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2014 | Asa Hutchinson |
55.4% | Mike Ross |
46.3% | 9.1% |
| 2010 | Mike Beebe |
64.4% | Jim Keet |
33.6% | 30.8% |
| 2006 | Mike Beebe |
55.6% | Asa Hutchinson |
40.7% | 14.9% |
| 2002 | Mike Huckabee |
53.0% | Jimmie Lou Fisher |
46.9% | 6.1% |
Congressional delegation, 2000-2016
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Arkansas in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
| Congressional delegation, Arkansas 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Republicans | Republicans (%) | Democrats | Democrats (%) | Balance of power |
| 2016 | 4 |
100% | 0 |
0% | R+4 |
| 2014 | 4 |
100% | 0 |
0% | R+4 |
| 2012 | 4 |
100% | 0 |
0% | R+4 |
| 2010 | 3 |
75% | 1 |
25% | R+3 |
| 2008 | 1 |
25% | 3 |
75% | D+3 |
| 2006 | 1 |
25% | 3 |
75% | D+3 |
| 2004 | 1 |
25% | 3 |
75% | D+3 |
| 2002 | 1 |
25% | 3 |
75% | D+3 |
| 2000 | 1 |
25% | 3 |
75% | D+3 |
Trifectas, 1992-2017
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
Arkansas Party Control: 1992-2025
Eleven years of Democratic trifectas • Eleven years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R |
Pivot Counties
- See also: Pivot Counties by state
One of 75 Arkansas counties—1.33 percent—is a Pivot County. Pivot Counties are counties that voted for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and for Donald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
| Counties won by Trump in 2016 and Obama in 2012 and 2008 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Trump margin of victory in 2016 | Obama margin of victory in 2012 | Obama margin of victory in 2008 | ||||
| Woodruff County, Arkansas | 8.91% | 4.21% | 7.46% | ||||
In the 2016 presidential election, Donald Trump (R) won Arkansas with 60.6 percent of the vote. Hillary Clinton (D) received 33.7 percent. In presidential elections between 1900 and 2016, Arkansas voted Democratic 66.67 percent of the time and Republican 30 percent of the time. In the five presidential elections between 2000 and 2016, Arkansas voted Republican all five times.
Recent news
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Arkansas governor Democratic primary 2018. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
|
Arkansas government: |
Elections: |
Ballotpedia exclusives: |
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "2014 Arkansas Preferential Primary Elections and Nonpartisan Election," June 12, 2014
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures Website, "State Primary Election Types," accessed April 3, 2023
- ↑ Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
- ↑ Arkansas Code, "Title 7, Chapter 5, Subchapter 304," accessed April 3, 2023
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Arkansas Secretary of State, "Voter Registration Information," accessed July 29, 2024
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Arkansas Voter Registration Application," accessed November 1, 2024
- ↑ 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."
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed July 29, 2024
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Arkansas Secretary of State, "Absentee Voting," accessed July 29, 2024
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Military and Overseas Citizens," accessed April 3, 2023
- ↑ Arkansas Secretary of State, "Absentee Voting," accessed April 3, 2023
- ↑ Arkansas Demographics, "Arkansas Cities by Population," accessed August 30, 2018
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "Quickfacts Arkansas," accessed August 30, 2018
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