Supporters buy food and drinks at a concession stand ahead of a campaign town hall meeting with US Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump, moderated by Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, in Flint, Michigan, US. (IMAGE: REUTERS)
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Barring 1992 and 1996, Arkansas has always backed a Republican in the US Elections.
After voting for favourite son Bill Clinton in 1992 and 1996, Arkansas has since awarded its Electoral College votes to the Republican presidential candidate in every general election. Republican former President Donald Trump aims to win the state for a third time, having claimed Arkansas with more than 60% of the vote in the past two elections.
Also on the ballot: all four of the state’s members of Congress, Republicans who easily won their races in 2022 and are seeking reelection this year.
Arkansas does have a “blue dot” around Little Rock, which voted 60% for Democratic President Joe Biden in 2020.
Biden also won six counties in eastern Arkansas along the Mississippi River with heavy African-American populations. In Washington County, near the headquarters of Tyson Foods and Walmart, and which includes part of the city of Springdale, the presidential election was close — but Trump still won by four points.
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An abortion rights measure won’t be on the ballot this year after the state Supreme Court upheld a state agency’s finding that the group supporting the measure didn’t properly submit documentation regarding its signature gatherers.
The Associated Press doesn’t make projections and will declare a winner only when it has determined there is no scenario that would allow the trailing candidates to close the gap.
If a race hasn’t been called, the AP will continue to cover any newsworthy developments, like candidate concessions or declarations of victory. In doing so, the AP will make clear it hasn’t declared a winner and explain why.
Here’s a look at what to expect in the 2024 election in Arkansas:
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Election Day: Nov. 5.
Poll closing time: 8:30 p.m. ET.
Presidential electoral votes: 6 awarded to statewide winner.
Key races and candidates
President: Harris (D) vs. Trump (R) vs. Robert Kennedy Jr. (Independent) vs. Chase Oliver (Libertarian) vs. Jill Stein (Green) and two others.
Other races of interest: U.S. House, ballot measures, state Supreme Court, state Senate, state House and treasurer.
Registered voters: 1,823,014 (as of Oct. 15, 2024).
Voter turnout in Nov. 2020: 67% of registered voters.
Pre-Election Day voting
Votes cast before Election Day 2020: about 78% of the total vote.
Votes cast before Election Day 2022: about 56% of the total vote.
How long does vote-counting take?
First votes reported, Nov. 3, 2020: 8:38 p.m. ET.
By midnight ET: about 79% of total votes cast were reported.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Associated Press)
Shankhyaneel Sarkar
Shankhyaneel Sarkar is a senior subeditor at News18. He covers international affairs, where he focuses on breaking news to in-depth analyses. He has o…Read More
Rex Nelson has been senior editor and columnist at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette since 2017, and he has a biweekly podcast called “Southern Fried.”
After graduating from Ouachita Baptist University in 1981, he was a sportswriter for the Arkansas Democrat for a year before becoming editor of Arkadelphia’s Daily Siftings Herald. He was the youngest editor of a daily in Arkansas at age 23. Rex was then news and sports director at KVRC-KDEL from 1983-1985.
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He returned to the Democrat as assistant sports editor in 1985. From 1986-1989, he was its Washington correspondent. He left to be Jackson T. Stephens’ consultant.
Rex became the Democrat-Gazette’s first political editor in 1992, but left in 1996 to join then-Gov. Mike Huckabee’s office. He also served from 2005-09 in the administration of President George W. Bush.
From 2009-2018, he worked stints at the Communications Group, Arkansas’ Independent Colleges and Universities, and Simmons First National Corp.
Dylan Sherman is a business reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He is based in Northwest Arkansas and focuses on Tyson Foods Inc. and the transportation industry. A graduate of the University of Missouri, he has been with the newspaper since 2023.
The Arkansas Court of Appeals released opinions Wednesday. The court’s ruling and the names of the cases are reprinted here. The full opinions and other court proceedings, including per curiam decisions, orders and submissions, can be found on the internet at arcourts.gov.
PROCEEDINGS OF Jan. 7, 2026
CHIEF JUDGE N. MARK KLAPPENBACH
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CR-23-821. Kenneth Steward v. State of Arkansas, from Benton County Circuit Court. Affirmed. Gladwin and Brown, JJ., agree.
JUDGE ROBERT J. GLADWIN
CR-25-24. Bryce Anderson v. State of Arkansas, from Benton County Circuit Court. Affirmed. Virden and Harrison, JJ., agree.
JUDGE CASEY R. TUCKER
CV-24-537. Flywheel Energy Production, LLC v. Van Buren County, Arkansas; and Van Buren County Judge Dale James, in His Official Capacity as Van Buren County Judge, from Van Buren County Circuit Court. Reversed and dismissed. Abramson and Harrison, JJ., agree.
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JUDGE WENDY SCHOLTENS WOOD
CV-24-209. LRS South, LLC v. Benton County Solid Waste Management District and the Benton County Solid Waste Management District Board, from Benton County Circuit Court. Reversed and remanded. Hixson and Murphy, JJ., agree.
