Be a more informed voter in Franklin County, AR!
Find Franklin County Election Information on Candidates, Absentee Ballots, Voting by Mail, Polling Place Times, Polling Place Locations, and more.
Voter Registration
Registration Deadline: To qualify to vote in the next election, you must apply to register to vote 30 days before the election. The postmark on a mail-in application will be considered the submission date. You may also apply in person with your county clerk.
Party Affiliation: In a primary election, you must state the party primary in which you wish to vote. If you don’t wish to cast a party ballot, you may choose to vote in the nonpartisan races only (which may include judicial and prosecuting attorney races, and other local issues such as tax increases). In a primary election, you’re allowed to vote only one party’s ballot or the nonpartisan ballot. The election official records which party’s ballot you choose.
Voter Registration Qualifications
Age: Be age 18 or older on or before the next election
Citizenship: Must be a United States Citizen
Residency: Be an Arkansas resident. If you have moved from one county to another within Arkansas, you must update this information with the county clerk no later than 4 days prior to Election Day via a Voter Registration Application. You must register to vote wherever you actually “live or reside.” Owning property or a business in a county does not constitute residency there.
Mental Competency: Not be presently adjudged as mentally incompetent as to your ability to vote by a court of competent jurisdiction.
Felony Convictions: Not be a convicted felon whose sentence has not been discharged or pardoned.
Obtaining a Voter Registration Form
Online: Request an application through the mail (USPS)
In person:
-The Arkansas Secretary of State Elections Division: 1-800-482-1127.
-Local revenue or DMV office.
-Public library.
-Disability agency.
-Military recruitment office.
By mail: Download and print Voter Registration form (english and spanish) and send it to your County Clerk's office
If you are registering to vote by mail: You must provide either your driver’s license number or the last four digits of your Social Security number on your Arkansas Voter Registration Application, or check the box in #9 on the application to indicate that you do not possess either a driver’s license or Social Security number.
Verifying Your Voter Registration Status
Once your local county clerk has processed your Voter Registration Application, he/she will send you a personalized voter registration card. This could take up to several weeks.
Never assume you are registered to vote until you have received your voter registration card from the county clerk.
Online: Arkansas Voting Registration Verification
Phone: Contact your County Clerk's office
Absentee Ballot Qualifications
To be qualified to vote an absentee ballot, you must meet one of the following criteria:
- 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 dependent 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 temporarily living outside the territorial limits of the United States
Obtaining an Absentee Ballot
In person: To request an Application for Absentee Ballot, please contact the County Clerk in your county of residence.
By mail: download and print an absentee ballot request form and sent it to your County Clerk.
Military and overseas voting: Military and overseas voters may request an absentee ballot. Eligible voters can be sent their ballot electronically to print and mail in. Find more information about eligibility and the process here.
Submitting an Absentee Ballot
Absentee Ballot Application Deadline
In Person: by close of business the Friday before the election
By Designated Bearer or Administrator: by close of business the Friday before the election (Designated Bearer is anyone you choose to pick up or deliver your application or ballot)
By Mail or by Electronic Means: received at clerk’s office by 7 days before the election
By Authorized Agent: by 1:30 p.m. ON election day. (The authorized agent must file with the County Clerk an affidavit from the administrative head of a hospital or nursing home located in this state verifying that the applicant is a patient of the hospital or long-term care or residential care facility licensed by the state and is thereby unable to vote on the election day at his or her regular polling site.)
Absentee Ballot Pickup Deadline
By Designated Bearers: no earlier than 15 days before a preferential primary election, general election, school election or special election and no earlier than 7 days before a runoff election.
By Anyone Else: no deadline specified in Arkansas law. You should base your ballot pick up on the ability to return it to the County Clerk on time.
Deadline for Delivery of Voted Ballot to County Clerk
In Person: by close of business the Friday before the election
By Mail: received at clerk's office by 7:30 pm ON election day
You may NOT fax or email a ballot. UOCAVA voters must vote their ballot by Election Day, and it must be received by their county clerk by 5 pm. 10 days after the election.
By Authorized Agent: by 7:30 pm ON election day.
Early Voting
Depending on the type of election being conducted, you may early vote during the 7 or 15 days prior to Election Day. In most counties, early voting is conducted at the county clerk’s office. In counties with off-site early voting (a location other than the county clerk’s office), local newspapers will publish the designated sites.
Click here for more information.
VOTING ON ELECTION DAY
Vote at your poll on Election Day from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
An election official will ask you to state your name, address and date of birth.
The election official will request for you to provide an approved form of I.D.
If you registered by mail after January 1, 2003, and did not submit the required I.D. with your voter registration application, you may be required to show I.D. to vote a regular ballot. Types of additional I.D., which must show the name and address of the voter, include a current and valid photo I.D.or a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or other government document.
You will go alone to a voting booth and mark your ballot. You are allowed 5 minutes to vote.
VOTER ID
Each voter shall verify his or her registration when voting by presenting a document or identification card that:
1.Shows the name of the person to whom the document or identification card was issued;
2.Shows a photograph of the person to whom the document or identification card was issued;
3.Is issued by the United States, the State of Arkansas, or an accredited postsecondary educational institution in the State of Arkansas; and
4.If displaying an expiration date, is not expired or expired no more than four (4) years before the date of the election in which the voter seeks to vote.
Documents and identification cards that will be accepted as verification of voter registration include without limitation: A driver’s license; A photo identification card; A concealed hand-gun carry license; A United States passport; An employee badge or identification document issued by an accredited postsecond-ary education institution in the State of Arkansas; A United States military identification document; A public assistance identification card if the card shows a photograph of the person to whom the document or identification card was issued; A voter verification card as provided under Ark. Code § 7-5-324.
For more information click here
PROVISIONAL VOTING
If you registered to vote but your name does not appear on the precinct voter registration list, or if you are unable to comply with identification requirements, you have the right to cast a Provisional Ballot after signing an affirmation that you are a registered voter in the county and are eligible to vote in that election.
If your vote is challenged by a poll watcher,you have the right to cast a Provisional Ballot that will be set aside by the election officials in a special envelope until the election commission determines whether the ballot may be counted.
If you cast a Provisional Ballot, you have the right to be informed in writing of whether or not your ballot was counted and, if not, the reason it was not counted.
For more information click here
Additional Information
Deciding how to vote: https://www.votesmart.org/
Polling Place: Arkansas Polling Place Locator
Problems with voting: Contact your county clerk with voting issues and problems.
Verifying absentee ballot status: Arkansas Absentee Ballot Verification
Currently, ballot measures in Arkansas require a simple majority (50%+1) vote for approval. This amendment would amend the state constitution to require a three-fifths 60% supermajority vote of approval from voters to adopt constitutional amendments (legislatively referred and citizen-initiated) and citizen-initiated state statutes. The supermajority requirement would not apply to veto referendums, which would continue to require a simple majority (50%+1) vote for approval.
The measure would legalize marijuana use for individuals 21 years of age and older and authorize the commercial sale of marijuana with sales to be taxed at 10%. Adults could possess up to one ounce of marijuana. Under the amendment, businesses that already hold licenses under the state's medical marijuana program would be authorized to sell marijuana. An additional 40 licenses would be given to businesses chosen by a lottery.
This amendment would allow the state legislature to call itself into extraordinary sessions upon (a) a joint proclamation from the Speaker of the House and the Senate President Pro Tempore or (b) upon a proclamation signed by two-thirds of the members in each chamber.
The measure would amend the state constitution to provide that the government cannot burden a persons freedom of religion including burdens resulting from a rule of general applicability except if the government demonstrates that the burden is necessary to further a compelling government interest using the least restrictive means of furthering that interest. The measure would allow a person to cite this amendment as a claim or defense in a judicial, administrative, or other proceeding to obtain relief against the government.