Laws governing recall in Arkansas
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A recall election is the process by which citizens may remove elected officials from office before the expiration of their terms. This article summarizes the laws governing recall elections in Arkansas. Arkansas allows for the recall of some local officials but does not allow for the recall of state officials.
In 39 states, local officials can be subject to recall elections. Of those, 19 also permit recalls of state-level officials. Eleven states do not permit recalls of elected officials at any level. Click here for more information.
Offices subject to recall
Federal officials
The U.S. Constitution does not provide for the recall of elected federal officials. While some state constitutions have stated that their citizens have the right to recall members of Congress, the Supreme Court has never ruled on whether such recalls are constitutional.[1] Ballotpedia does not provide coverage of federal recalls. Click here for more information.
State officials
Arkansas law does not provide for the recall of state officials.[2]
Local officials
The laws that govern the conduct of political recalls in Arkansas are Ark. Code §14-47-112, 14-48-114, 14-61-119, 14-92-209, and 6-13-6. Under these statutes, the following local elected officials are subject to recall:
- Mayors
- Members of board of directors
- Commissioners of suburban improvement districts
- School board members
Process
Features of the recall statutes in Arkansas are:
- The officeholder must have been in office at least six months before a recall can be started
- The signature requirement for mayors and directors is 35% of ballots cast for all candidates for the office at the preceding primary at which the officials were nominated or elected. For commissioners of suburban improvement districts, the requirement is 25% of the owners of real estate in the district. For school board members, the requirement is "at least thirty-five percent (35%) of the electors who are eligible to vote for the office."[3]
- Organizers of a recall for a mayor or city director must file a petition with the relevant city clerk within 90 days of starting to collect signatures.[4]
- If a recall election is held and the majority of the votes cast are in favor of the recall, the official facing recall is removed from office.[5]
Legislation involving recall elections
The table below lists bills related to recall elections in Arkansas. The following information is included for each bill:
- State
- Bill number
- Official bill name or caption
- Most recent action date
- Legislative status
- Sponsor party
- Topics dealt with by the bill
Bills are organized by most recent action. The table displays up to 100 results. To view more bills, use the arrows in the upper-right corner. Clicking on a bill will open its page on Ballotpedia's Election Administration Legislation Tracker, which includes bill details and a summary.
See also
What are recalls?
Recall efforts
Ballotpedia's Recall Report
Recalls by state
Recalls by office
Recall laws
Footnotes
- ↑ Congressional Research Service, "Recall of Legislators and the Removal of Members of Congress from Office," January 5, 2012
- ↑ National Conference of State Legislatures, "Recall of State Officials," accessed September 18, 2025
- ↑ Bill Track 50, "AR HB1933," accessed April 29, 2025
- ↑ Arkansas Code, "§ 14-61-119," accessed October 1, 2025
- ↑ Arkansas Code, "§ 14-47-112," accessed September 19, 2025
