Voting in Arkansas

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COVID-19 UPDATE: All voters may use the excuse “physical illness/disability” to request an absentee ballot.

Voters can only vote absentee/by mail in Arkansas with an approved excuse. Approved excuses include if:
- You will be unavoidably absent from your polling site on election day
- You will be unable to attend your polling site on election day due to illness or physical disability
- You are a member of the Uniformed Services, merchant marines or the spouse or a dependant family member and are away from your polling location due to the member’s active duty status
- A U.S. citizen whose residence is in Arkansas but is temporarily living outside the territorial limits of the United States

Arkansas offers in-person early voting. No excuse is needed to vote early. Depending on the type of election being conducted, you may vote early during the 7 or 15 days prior to Election Day.

Arkansas has open primaries. Any registered voter can participate in primary elections, regardless of political party. 17-year-olds cannot vote in the primary election even if they will be 18 by the corresponding general election.

Photo ID is required to vote in Arkansas.

Valid forms of ID include:
- Driver's license.
- Photo identification card
- Concealed handgun carry license
- United States passport
- Employee badge or identification document issued by an accredited postsecondary educational institution in the State of Arkansas
- United States military identification document
- Public assistance identification card if the card shows a photograph of the person to whom the document or identification card was issued
- Voter verification card under § 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.

Note: A document or identification card may be presented in a digital format on an electronic device if it complies with other requirements and has been approved or issued by the U.S., the state of Arkansas, or an accredited post-secondary educational institution.

If you go to your polling place without an approved form of ID, you can vote a provisional ballot. Provisional ballots cast in this manner will be counted if:

(a) The voter completes a sworn statement at the polling site stating that the voter is registered to vote in this state and that he or she is the person registered to vote, and the county board of election commissioners does not determine that the provisional ballot is invalid and should not be counted based on other grounds, or

(b) The voter returns to the county board of election commissioners or the county clerk by 12:00 noon on the Monday following the election and presents a document or identification card meeting the requirements described above, and the county board of election commissioners does not determine that the provisional ballot is invalid and should not be counted based on other grounds.