ARKANSAS 6 Electoral Votes 
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Population 
(Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Arkansas Secretary of State)
Total Resident Population, July 1, 2016 est.
2,988,248
Total Registration, Nov. 2016
1,759,974 >

Arkansas has: 75 counties.
Largest counties: Pulaski, Benton, Washington.
Largest cities: Little Rock, Fort Smith, Fayetteville, Springdale. 

Government
Governor: Asa Hutchinson (R) elected Nov. 2014.
State Legislature: Arkansas General Assembly   House: 100 seats  Senate: 35 seats 
Local: County and Municipal, City Listings    NACO
U.S. House: 4R, 0D - 1. R.Crawford (R) | 2. F.Hill (R) | 3. S.Womack (R) | 4. B.Westerman (R).
U.S. Senate: Tom Cotton (R) elected in 2014, John Boozman (R) seeking re-election in 2016. 
2016

U.S. Senate: Sen. John Boozman (R) had little difficulty in his re-election bid against Conner Eldridge (D), garnering 661,984 votes (59.77%) to 400,602 (36.17%) and 43,866 (3.96%) for Frank Gilbert (L),
U.S. House: All four Members won re-election; the closest race was in CD-2 where Rep. Hill won with 58.34% of the vote; in the other three districts the incumbents tallied 75-percent or more. 
State Legislature:
17 of 35 Senate seats and all 100 House seats were up.  Republicans strengthened their majorities in both chambers, going from 24R, 11D to 26R, 9D in the Senate and 64R, 36D to 73R, 27D in the House.  Post-election note: Three House Democrats switched to Republican in the month after the election taking the balance to 76R, 24D.
Ballot Measures:
Seven measures were intially on the ballot, but court orders determined that three of them had not qualified and those results were not counted or certified.  [Not counted were Issue 4, “An Amendment to Limit Attorney Contingency Fees and Non-Economic Damages in Medical Lawsuits”; Issue 5, which would allow up to three casinos to operate in Arkansas; and Issue 7 on medical marijuana]. >
 

 State of Arkansas
Secretary of State

AR Democratic Party
AR Libertarian Party
Constitution Party of AR
Green Party of AR
Republican Party of AR

Ark. Dem.-Gazette
Arkansas News
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The Tolbert Report

Politics1-AR
Ballotpedia-AR


The Natural State
General Election -- Tuesday, November 8, 2016
Voting Eligible Population*: 2,148,441.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 52.6%.


Early Voting Begins: Oct. 24, 2016 (15 days prior to the General Election).

Total Registration: 1,759,974. >
Voter Registration Deadline: Sun., Oct. 9, 2016 (actual Mon., Oct.10, 2016).



Official Results >

 
Castle/Bradley (Const.)
4,613
(0.41)
Clinton/Kaine (Dem.)
380,494
(33.65)
Hedges/Bayes (Ind.)
4,709
(0.42)
Johnson/Weld (Lib.)
29,949
(2.65)
Kahn/Monahan (Ind.)
3,390
(0.30)
McMullin/Johnson (BFA)
13,176
(1.17)
Stein/Baraka (Grn.)
9,473
(0.84)
+Trump/Pence (Rep.)
684,872
(60.57)
Total........1,130,676

Total ballots cast: 1,137,772.
Overview: Much has changed since Hillary Clinton served as First Lady of Arkansas for 12 years, from 1979-81 and 1983-92.  The state has gone to the Republican presidential candidate by widening margins since Gov. Bill Clinton carried his home state in his 1992 and 1996 White House bids.  Republicans hold all seven statewide offices, both chambers of the legislature and the entire congressional delegation.   The Clinton campaign opened a headquarters in Little Rock on Aug. 13.  Visits by the candidates during the Fall campaign were scarce; the only one noted was Tim Kaine's Aug. 23 visit for a fundraiser.  The outcome was as expected.  Trump finished with the same share of the vote as Romney had won in 2012, 60.57%, but with a larger plurality, 304,378 votes (26.92 percentage points).  The Republican ticket carried 67 counties to eight for Clinton — Pulaski and neighboring Jefferson plus six counties along the eastern border.
Clinton  |  Trump
BALLOT [PDF]

Presidential Primary Election -- Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Registration: 1,678,828  Ballots Cast: 644,523   Turnout 38.4%.
USEP: Voting Age Pop.: 2,281,940.   Voting Eligible Pop:. 2,137,115.  
Democrats
37 Delegates: 21 District, 7 At-Large, 4 PLEO, 5 Unpledged.
 
details
Republicans
40 Delegates: 3 RNC; 25 at-large; 12 by CD (3 x 4 CDs).

details


General Election Winners in Arkansas, 1992-2012
1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012
Clinton
53.21%
Clinton
53.74%
Bush
51.31%
Bush
54.31%
McCain
58.72%
Romney
60.57%
  and the details...
 
General Election -- Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Voting Eligible Population*: 2,116,668.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 50.5%.


Early Voting Begins: Oct. 22, 2012 (15 days prior to the General Election).

Total Registration:1,618,548.
Voter Registration Deadline: Sun., Oct. 7, 2012 (actual Mon. Oct. 8, 2012).



Official Results >

 
Johnson/Gray (Lib.) 16,276
(1.52)
Stein/Honkala (Grn.) 9,305
(0.87)
+Romney/Ryan (Rep.) 647,744
(60.57)
Obama/Biden (Dem.)
394,409
(36.88)
Lindsay/Osario (PSL)
1,734
(0.16)
Total........1,069,468

Total ballots cast: 1,078,548.
2012 Overview
Arkansas is a state where President Obama may well have had a negative effect in down-ticket races, as Republicans made gains at the federal, state and county levels (+).  The Romney ticket achieved a plurality of 253,335 votes (23.69 percentage points), carrying 66 counties to 9 for Obama — Pulaski and neighboring Jefferson plus 7 counties along the eastern border.  Turnout was a bit down from 2008.  In terms of visits, Gov. Romney did a couple of fundraisers in Little Rock on Aug. 22 and Libertarian VP nominee Jim Gray visited Little Rock and Fayetteville on Oct. 19.
Obama  |  (Romney)
BALLOT [PDF]
Ballot access note: 7-8-302 (5) (B)  "A political group desiring to have the names of its candidates for President and Vice President printed on the ballot shall file a petition with the Secretary of State by noon on the first Monday of August of the year of the election.  The petition shall contain at the time of filing the names of one thousand qualified electors...."

General Election -- Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Voting Eligible Population*: 2,033,146.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 53.4%.


Early Voting: Oct. 20-Nov. 3, 2008. >
"The state’s early and absentee vote totals comprised about 25 percent of the state’s 1.68 million registered voters with a combined total of around 415,000 votes cast. The early vote total of around 385,000 breaks the previous early vote record in 2004 of 300,350. This year's absentee ballot total is around 10,000 less than 2004’s total of 44,729."  -AR SoS

Total Registration: 1,684,240.
Voter Registration Deadline: Oct. 6, 2008.





Official Results


Baldwin/Castle (Const.)
4,023
(0.37)
Barr/Root (Lib.)
4,776
(0.44)
La Riva/Puryear (S&L)
1,139
(0.10)
+McCain/Palin (Rep.)
638,017 (58.72)
McKinney/Clemente (Grn.)
3,470
(0.32)
Nader/Gonzalez (Ind.)
12,882
(1.19)
Obama/Biden (Dem.)
422,310
(38.86)
Total........1,086,617


Total Over Votes 693 
Total Under Votes 8,648
2008 Overview
Arkansas is one of few states where the McCain-Palin ticket fared better than Bush-Cheney had in 2004 (in terms of both the number and share of votes).  Amid low turnout, the McCain ticket carried 66 counties to 9 for Obama and amassed a plurality of 215,707 votes (19.86 percentage points).  Hillary Clinton had done very well in the primary, and it is possible that some of her supporters didn't make the shift to Obama.  Race may have been a factor for a few voters; Harrison, AR is home to the KKK.  Polls consistently showed McCain ahead by about 9 to 16 points.  Sen. McCain made one appearance in the state, a finance event at Embassy Suites Northwest Arkansas in Rogers on Aug. 8. The Obama campaign did open three offices.  "Our mission was to use our activists in the state to phone bank into Missouri and various battleground states.  We sent nearly 1,000 Arkansans across the border into Missouri to knock on doors the last 6 weekends of the campaign."  Former President Bill Clinton headlined rallies in North Little Rock on Oct. 24 and in Pine Bluff and Jonesboro on Oct. 25. 
Note: Obama's 9 counties: Chicot, Crittenden, Desha, Jefferson, Lee, Phillips, Pulaski, St. Francis and Woodruff.
Obama/Allies  | McCain/Allies  |  Nader

General Election -- Tuesday, November 2, 2004
Voting Eligible Population*: 1,969,208.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 53.6%.


Early Voting Begins: Oct. 18, 2004 (15 days before the Election).

Total Registration: 1,684,684.
Voter Registration Deadline: Oct. 3, 2004 (30 days before the Election).

Official Results

Badnarik/Campagna (Lib.)
2,352
(0.22)
+Bush/Cheney (Rep.)
572,898
(54.31)
Cobb/LaMarche (Grn.) 1,488 (0.14)
Kerry/Edwards (Dem.) 469,953
(44.55)
Nader/Camejo (Pop.)
6,171
(0.58)
Peroutka/Baldwin (Const.)
2,083
(0.20)
Total........1,054,945
 

Total Over Votes 7,249 
Total Under Votes 8,379


2004 Overview
Arkansas is another Southern state where the  Kerry-Edwards ticket did not go over too well.  The Bush ticket expanded upon its 2000 showing, gaining a plurality of 102,945 votes (9.76 percentage points) and carrying 54 of 75 counties (results by county).
General Election Details
Kerry/Allies  |  Bush-Cheney '04

General Election -- Tuesday, November 7, 2000
Voting Eligible Population*: 1,925,961.
VEP Highest Office Turnout Rate: 47.9%.
 

Arkansas has early voting for 15 days prior to Election Day (starting Oct. 23) at county clerks' offices and in multiple locations in Pulaski County.  Statewide about 18% voted early or by absentee ballot.

Total Registration: 1,553,356.                         

Official Results

Buchanan/Foster (Ref.)
7,358
(0.80)
Phillips/Frazier (Const.)
1,415
(0.15)
Hagelin/Goldhaber (NLP)
1,098
(0.12)
Browne/Olivier (Lib.)
2,781
(0.30)
Gore/Lieberman (Dem.)
422,768
(45.86)
Nader/LaDuke (Grn.)
13,421
(1.46)
+Bush/Cheney (Rep.)
472,940
(51.31)
Total........921,781

2000 Overview
The Bush ticket prevailed in President Clinton's home state, returning Arkansas' six electors to the Republican column.  Gov. Bush carried 43 of the state's 75 counties and won by a plurality of 50,172 votes.  He kept the race close in Pulaski County (Little Rock), and polled strongly in Northwest Arkansas (for example Benton County).  In U.S. House races, Democrats picked up a seat as State Sen. Mike Ross of Prescott defeated incumbent Republican Rep. Jay Dickey of Pine Bluff by 51% to 49%. 
General Election Activity

1992 and 1996 General Elections

1992
+Clinton (Dem.).....505,823
(53.21)
Bush (Rep.)...........337,324
(35.48)
Perot (Ind.)..............99,132
(10.43)
Others (10)...............8,374
(0.88)
Total........950,653
1996
+Clinton (Dem.).....475,171
(53.74)
Dole (Rep.)............325,416
(36.80)
Perot (Ref.).............69,884
(7.90)
Others (10)..............13,791
(1.56)
Total........884,262
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