How to Vote in Arkansas’ 2024 Elections

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Last day to register to vote: Monday, Oct. 7
Last day to request an absentee ballot: Tuesday, Oct. 29
Early in-person voting: Monday, Oct. 21, through Monday, Nov. 4
Deadline to return absentee ballot (by mail): Tuesday, Nov. 5, 7:30 p.m. (received, not postmarked)
Deadline to return absentee ballot (in person): Friday, Nov. 1
General election: Tuesday, Nov. 5, poll hours are 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

• Voter registration: The deadline to register to vote is Monday, Oct. 7. Visit the state’s VoterView page or call your county clerk’s office to check your registration status.

• Absentee voting: Absentee ballots are available only to voters who can’t get to a polling site on Election Day because of illness, disability, religious observance or another acceptable reason.

• Early in-person voting: Available to all registered voters at their county clerk’s office from Monday, Oct. 21, through Monday, Nov. 4. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday (except Monday, Nov. 4, when early voting finishes at 5 p.m. instead), and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Off-site locations may also be available.

• Voting at the polls on Election Day: Polls are open from 7:30 a.m. through 7:30 p.m. Bring a photo ID, such as your driver’s license or U.S. passport.

In April 2024, the state Board of Election Commissioners adopted a rule clarifying that voter registration applications must be signed with an ink pen or a mark on a paper, rather than an electronic signature. Litigation over the rule is ongoing, check back for updates. Those applying through an authorized state voter registration agency may sign electronically.

Laws passed in 2023 introduced changes to voting procedures and may affect how you cast your ballot:

• There will no longer be drop boxes for returning absentee ballots; you can only mail or hand-deliver them to your county clerk’s office.
  
• Write-in voting is no longer allowed in elections.
  
• Registered voters may vote absentee for religious reasons.

Redistricting in 2021 changed the boundaries of congressional and state legislative districts and may affect which candidates appear on your ballot. Litigation is ongoing. Check back for updates.

Andrea Morales/Getty Images

Register by mail or in person. The deadline to register to vote is Monday, Oct. 7.

• By mail: Download a copy of the application, which is available in English or in Spanish. You can also fill out and submit a request for a voter registration application on the secretary of state’s website, and an application will be mailed to you. Another option is to call your county clerk’s office to request an application. Or call the secretary of state’s Elections Division at 800-482-1127, and you’ll be referred to the right county clerk’s office to make your request. Mail in the preaddressed form once you have completed it.
  
• In person: Pick up and fill out a registration application at your county clerk’s office. You can also get an application at your local DMV office, public library, disability agency or military recruitment office. Mail or hand-deliver the completed form to your county clerk’s office. 

Arkansas does not offer same-day voter registration, so you cannot register to vote on Election Day.

Visit the state’s VoterView page to check your registration status and view sample ballots.

Absentee ballots are available only to Arkansas voters who meet certain criteria. You may qualify if you will be “unavoidably absent” from your polling site on Election Day, if you have a religious reason, can’t get to a polling site due to an illness or physical disability, or are a military member (or the spouse of one) temporarily living elsewhere or are living outside the United States.

You can apply for an absentee ballot:

• By mail: Download a copy of the application, then mail the completed form to your county clerk’s office.
  
• By phone or email: Request a mailed copy of the application from your county clerk’s office. Your completed application can be mailed, emailed or dropped off at your county clerk’s office. Though the application form says you can fax it to the county clerk’s office, the secretary of state’s office cautions that this method is not as reliable. 
  
• In person: Visit your county clerk’s office, where you can pick up and complete an application. 

Your county clerk’s office must receive your mailed or emailed application by Tuesday, Oct. 29, for the general election. Applications postmarked but not received by that date will not be accepted.

If you visit your county clerk’s office in person, you can fill out an application through the close of business on Friday, Nov. 1, for the general election. You can pick up and complete your ballot during the same visit.

Return your absentee ballot by mail or in person.

• By mail: Mail your ballot to your county clerk’s office. Ballots must be received (not just postmarked) by Tuesday, Nov. 5.
  
• In person: Hand-deliver your ballot to your county clerk’s office by close of business on Friday, Nov. 1, for the general election.

Deadlines may be different for military members living overseas. Visit the secretary of state’s website for more information about absentee voting.

Visit the VoterView page to track the status of your ballot.

Early voting runs from Monday, Oct. 21, through Monday, Nov. 4. In most cases, early voting takes place at your county clerk’s office, where hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday (except Monday, Nov. 4, when early voting ends at 5 p.m. instead), and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays. Off-site early voting locations may also be available in your county, and hours may vary.

Visit the VoterView page or contact your county clerk’s office for early voting locations and hours.

Find your polling location on the VoterView page. Polls are open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. If you are in line before the polls close, you’ll be allowed to vote.

You’ll need to show an acceptable photo ID such as an Arkansas driver’s license, a concealed carry license or a U.S. passport, when casting your ballot in person. You can use an expired ID as long as the expiration date is no more than four years before the date of the election.

If you don’t have a driver’s license or other acceptable ID, you can obtain a free voter verification card from your county clerk’s office.

If you don’t have an acceptable form of ID when you go to vote, you may only use a provisional ballot. You’ll need to bring a proper ID to your county clerk’s office by noon the Monday after the election for your vote to count.

If you have a disability and need assistance casting your vote at the polls, you may request the help of two poll workers (one to assist and one to observe) or a person of your choice. During early voting, your county clerk or deputy clerk may help you. You may also vote by absentee ballot.

If you live in a nursing home or long-term care facility, you are eligible to vote by absentee ballot for all elections in a calendar year. You may deliver your ballot in person, by mail or have someone deliver it for you. Your designee must provide ID to the county clerk and sign a register, under oath, when delivering an absentee ballot. Visit the secretary of state’s website for guidelines for authorized agents acting on behalf of patients or long-term care residents. Residents of licensed long-term care facilities who vote in person can provide documentation from their facility’s administrator proving their residency in place of a photo ID.


Editor’s note: This guide was originally published on Dec. 6, 2023, and was updated on Oct. 21, 2024, to clarify early voting hours for the 2024 general election.

Natalie Missakian contributed to this story.

Michelle Tuccitto Sullo is a contributing writer covering state and federal policy. She previously served as managing editor of the Hartford Business Journal in Connecticut and has worked for the New Haven Register, Connecticut Law Tribune and New Haven Biz.

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