Find all the information for the 2026 Elections at: www.mysaline.com/2026-elections.
As the 2026 general election approaches, MySaline has all the dates and deadlines from the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office. This includes the upcoming federal, state, constitutional, and city/municipal races across the state. Read more below.
Jul/Aug – Petitions and Filings
For independent groups and citizen initiative organizations looking to put measures before voters on the fall ballot, the state has set a hard cutoff of Friday, July 3, 2026, to formally submit all collected voter signatures and petitions to the Secretary of State’s office.
Following that, the local filing window for city and municipal independent candidates running under a mayor-council form of government officially opens at noon on Wednesday, July 29, 2026. Candidates will have a set window to submit their necessary petitions of nomination, political practices pledges, and affidavits of eligibility to their county clerk.
As the state organizes the layout of the physical ballots, Thursday, August 20, 2026, serves as the final deadline for the Secretary of State to officially certify the full, completed lists of all statewide candidates and proposed constitutional amendments or measures to local County Boards of Election Commissioners.
Sep/Oct – Absentee and Early Voting
For voters who plan to participate by mail or utilize absentee voting, county clerks will officially begin making applications and physical absentee ballots available starting on Friday, September 18, 2026.
The final day to register to vote in Arkansas to be eligible to cast a ballot in the fall cycle falls is Monday, October 5, 2026.
In-person early voting for the General Election will officially launch statewide on Monday, October 19, 2026.
Early voting sites will remain open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM, and on Saturdays from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, running until 5:00 PM on the Monday immediately preceding Election Day.
If you are planning to request an absentee ballot through the mail, your application must be physically received by your county clerk via mail, fax, or email no later than Tuesday, October 27, 2026. For those hand-delivering their materials, the final day for a voter, administrator, or designated bearer to personally turn in an absentee ballot at the clerk’s counter is Friday, October 30, 2026.
November – Election Day and Counting Deadlines
The General Election will take place on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, with all local polling sites holding uniform hours from 7:30 AM to 7:30 PM. This is also the absolute final deadline for traditional domestic mail-in absentee ballots to arrive at the clerk’s office, requiring delivery before the closing of the polls at 7:30 PM.
For service members or state residents living abroad, the state allows extra transit time. The absolute final deadline for the physical arrival of overseas and military UOCAVA absentee ballots to be legally tabulated by the county clerk is 5:00 PM on Friday, November 13, 2026, provided they were signed and postmarked by Election Day.
Find all the information for the 2026 Elections at: www.mysaline.com/2026-elections.
