Democratic Party primaries in Arkansas, 2020

Elections in Arkansas, 2020

• Primary date: March 3
• Primary type: Open
• Registration deadline(s): Feb. 4
• Online registration: No
• Same-day registration: No

• Early voting starts: Feb, 17
• Absentee/mail voting deadline(s): March 3 (received)
• Voter ID: Photo ID
• Poll times: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

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Date of Arkansas presidential primary: March 3

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On the ballot: U.S. Senate • U.S. House • State Senate • State House • Special state legislative • Supreme court • Appellate courts • Local judges • State ballot measures • School boards • 

2022 → ← 2018

Democratic Party primaries, 2020

Primary Date

March 3, 2020

Primary Runoff Date

March 31, 2020

Federal elections

Democratic primary for U.S. Senate

Democratic primaries for U.S. House

State party

Democratic Party of Arkansas

State political party revenue

This page focuses on the Democratic primaries that took place in Arkansas on March 3, 2020. Click here for more information about the Republican primaries.

Note that the dates and terms of participation for presidential preference primaries and caucuses sometimes differ from those that apply to primaries for state-level and other federal offices, which are the subject of this article. For more information on this state's presidential nomination process, click here.

Federal elections

U.S. Senate

See also: United States Senate election in Arkansas, 2020 (March 3 Democratic primary)

The 2020 U.S. Senate elections in Arkansas took place on November 3, 2020. Voters elected one candidate to serve in the U.S. Senate.

 Democratic primary candidates

The Democratic Party primary was canceled. No candidates filed for this race.

Did not make the ballot:

• Joshua Mahony

U.S. House

See also: United States House elections in Arkansas, 2020 (March 3 Democratic primaries)

The 2020 U.S. House of Representatives elections in Arkansas took place on November 3, 2020. Voters elected four candidates to serve in the U.S. House, one from each of the state's four congressional districts.

District 1

 Democratic primary candidates

The Democratic Party primary was canceled. No candidates filed for this race.

District 2

 Democratic primary candidates

This primary was canceled and this candidate advanced:

• Joyce Elliott ✔ 

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= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

District 3

 Democratic primary candidates

This primary was canceled and this candidate advanced:

• Celeste Williams ✔ 

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= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

District 4

 Democratic primary candidates

This primary was canceled and this candidate advanced:

• William Hanson ✔ 

Did not make the ballot:

• Raymond Dallas Redmond Jr.

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= candidate completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey

State elections

State Senate

See also: Arkansas State Senate elections, 2020

The Arkansas State Senate was one of 86 state legislative chambers with elections in 2020. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. In 2018, 87 out of 99 legislative chambers held elections. To see a full list of state Senate candidates in the Democratic primaries, click "Show more" below.

Show more

Arkansas State Senate elections, 2020
Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name. = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. * = The primary was canceled and the candidate advanced.
Office	Democratic	Republican	Other
District 1	Ronetta Francis*	Bart Hester* (i)
District 2	Ryan Craig*	Jim Hendren* (i)
District 7	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Lance Eads* (i)
District 11	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Jimmy Hickey* (i)
District 12	Bruce Maloch* (i)	Charles Beckham*
District 13	Brandon Overly*	Alan Clark (i)   Jeff Crow
District 16	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Breanne Davis* (i)
District 21	The Democratic primary was canceled.	John Cooper (i) Dan Sullivan
District 22	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Dave Wallace* (i)
District 23	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Ronald Caldwell* (i)
District 25	Stephanie Flowers (i) Efrem Elliott	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 26	Eddie Cheatham* (i)	Bill Dunklin Ben Gilmore
District 27	Keidra Burrell   Garry Smith	Trent Garner* (i)
District 28	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Jonathan Dismang* (i)
District 29	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Ricky Hill* (i)
District 32	Clarke Tucker*	Bob Thomas*
District 34	Alisa Blaize Dixon*	Jane English* (i)

State House

See also: Arkansas House of Representatives elections, 2020

The Arkansas House of Representatives was one of 86 state legislative chambers with elections in 2020. There are 99 chambers throughout the country. In 2018, 87 out of 99 legislative chambers held elections. To see a full list of state House candidates in the Democratic primaries, click "Show more" below.

Show more

Arkansas State House elections, 2020
Incumbents are marked with an (i) after their name. = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. * = The primary was canceled and the candidate advanced.
Office	Democratic	Republican	Other
District 1	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Carol Dalby* (i)
District 2	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Lane Jean* (i)
District 3	Larry Faulkner*	Danny Watson* (i)
District 4	The Democratic primary was canceled.	DeAnn Vaught* (i)
District 5	David Fielding* (i)	Chase McDowell*
District 6	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Matthew Shepherd* (i)
District 7	George Calloway Jr.*	Sonia Eubanks Barker* (i)
District 8	Christopher Ogburn*	Jeff R. Wardlaw* (i)
District 9	LeAnne Burch* (i)	Howard Beaty*
District 10	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Mike Holcomb* (i)
District 11	Don Glover* (i)	Mark McElroy*
District 12	Chris Richey* (i)	David Tollett*
District 13	The Democratic primary was canceled.	David Hillman* (i)
District 14	Rick Bransford*	Roger Lynch* (i)
District 15	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Ken Bragg* (i)	Libertarian Party Wayne Willems*
District 16	Ken Ferguson* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 17	Vivian Flowers* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 18	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Richard Womack* (i)
District 19	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Justin Gonzales* (i)
District 20	The Democratic primary was canceled.	John Maddox* (i)
District 21	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Marcus Richmond (i) Jim Reynolds
District 22	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Richard McGrew (i)   Richard Midkiff Jack Wells	Libertarian Party Judy Bowers*
District 23	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Lanny Fite* (i)
District 24	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Bruce Cozart* (i)
District 25	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Les Warren* (i)
District 26	Joyce Schimenti*	Rick McClure   Lorna Nobles
District 27	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Julie Mayberry* (i)
District 28	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Tony Furman Marietta McClure
District 29	Fredrick Love* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 30	Fred Allen* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 31	Mazhil Rajendran*	Keith Brooks RJ Hawk
District 32	Ashley Hudson*	Jim Sorvillo* (i)
District 33	Tippi McCullough* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 34	Joy C. Springer (i) Ryan Davis Lee Miller	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 35	Andrew Collins* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 36	Denise Ennett (i) Russell Williams III	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 37	Jamie Scott* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 38	Matthew Stallings*	Carlton Wing* (i)
District 39	Kayla Applegate*	Mark Lowery* (i)
District 40	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Karyn Maynard   David Ray
District 41	Jannie Cotton Zach Randall	Karilyn Brown* (i)
District 42	Mark Perry* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 43	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Brian Evans* (i)
District 44	Rodney Govens*	Cameron Cooper* (i)
District 45	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Jim Wooten* (i)
District 46	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Les Eaves* (i)
District 47	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Craig Christiansen* (i)
District 48	Reginald Murdock* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 49	Justin Reeves*	Steve Hollowell* (i)
District 50	Milton Nicks Jr.* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 51	Deborah Ferguson* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 52	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Dwight Tosh* (i)
District 53	Shawn Only*	Bobby Long   Jon Milligan Cole Peck
District 54	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Johnny Rye* (i)
District 55	Monte Hodges* (i)	Gary Tobar*
District 56	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Joe Jett* (i)
District 57	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Jimmy Gazaway* (i)
District 58	Jim Burton*	Brandt Smith (i) Ken Yarbrough
District 59	Reginald Prunty*	Jack Ladyman* (i)
District 60	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Frances Cavenaugh* (i)
District 61	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Marsh Davis* (i)
District 62	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Michelle Gray* (i)
District 63	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Stu Smith* (i)
District 64	The Democratic primary was canceled.	John Payton* (i)
District 65	David Norman*	Rick Beck* (i)
District 66	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Josh Miller* (i)
District 67	Steve Wilson*	Stephen Meeks* (i)
District 68	Lisa Hassell*	Stan Berry* (i)
District 69	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Aaron Pilkington* (i)
District 70	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Spencer Hawks* (i)
District 71	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Joe Cloud* (i)
District 72	Steve Magie* (i)	James Phillips*
District 73	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Mary Bentley* (i)
District 74	June Anteski*	Jon S. Eubanks (i) Shawn Bates Curtis Varnell
District 75	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Lee Johnson* (i)
District 76	Caleb Harwell*	Cindy Crawford* (i)
District 77	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Justin Boyd* (i)	Libertarian Party Stephen Edwards*
District 78	Jay Richardson* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 79	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Gary Deffenbaugh* (i)
District 80	Lou Sharp*	Charlene Fite* (i)
District 81	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Bruce Coleman* (i)
District 82	Gwen Faulkenberry*	Mark Berry*
District 83	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Keith Slape* (i)
District 84	Denise Garner* (i)	The Republican primary was canceled.
District 85	David Whitaker* (i)	Brian Hester*
District 86	Nicole Clowney* (i)	John LaTour*
District 87	Michael Bennett-Spears*	Robin Lundstrum* (i)
District 88	Hawley Woods*	Clint Penzo* (i)
District 89	Megan Godfrey* (i)	Jed Duggar*
District 90	Kelly Krout*	Jana Della Rosa (i) Chris Latimer   Kendon Underwood
District 91	Nick Jones*	Jorge Becker Delia Haak Scott Richardson
District 92	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Gayla McKenzie* (i)
District 93	Daisy Bonilla*	Jim Dotson* (i)
District 94	Jene Huffman-Gilreath*	John Carr Adrienne Woods
District 95	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Austin McCollum* (i)
District 96	Jon Comstock*	Joshua Bryant*
District 97	Suzie Bell*	Harlan Breaux* (i)
District 98	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Ron McNair* (i)
District 99	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Jack Fortner* (i)
District 100	The Democratic primary was canceled.	Nelda Speaks (i) Paige Evans	Libertarian Party Kevin Vornheder*

Context of the 2020 elections

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

State party overview

See also: Democratic Party of Arkansas

State political party revenue

See also: State political party revenue and State political party revenue per capita

State political parties typically deposit revenue in separate state and federal accounts in order to comply with state and federal campaign finance laws.

The Democratic Party and the Republican Party maintain state affiliates in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and select U.S. territories. The following map displays total state political party revenue per capita for the Democratic state party affiliates.

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.

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.

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. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. 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."

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:

• 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.

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.

See also

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Government

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