UA Division of Agriculture Public Policy Center

08/31/2026

Candidates aren't the only decisions Arkansas voters have to make this November. We've compiled a running list of local ballot issue elections in Arkansas cities and counties.

Drop a comment below or send us a message if you know of a local issue that's not listed. We'll add it to the blog post.

In addition to voting for candidates and statewide ballot measures on Nov. 3, 2026, voters across Arkansas may also have the opportunity to vote on local ballot measures in their county, city, or locality.

08/27/2026

NEWSLETTER: The 2026 Arkansas ballot is set. Find links to our ballot issue websites and updates on lawsuits involving the citizen initiative process in our August ballot issue education newsletter.

Email from Public Policy Center 2026 Arkansas Ballot is Set   Public Policy Center | uaex.uada.edu/ballot     August 2026 The 2026 Arkansas Ballot Is Set County election officials received the offic

08/21/2026

FEDERAL LAWSUIT UPDATE: A federal judge in Fayetteville ruled today (Friday, Aug. 21) that multiple state laws challenged by Arkansas voters and groups such as the League of Women Voters of Arkansas are unconstitutional. The laws regulate people who collect voter signatures for citizen initiative campaigns.

From the opinion:

- The residency requirement fails strict scrutiny in all its applications, and it is therefore facially unconstitutional.

- The domicile requirement fails strict scrutiny in all applications, and it is therefore facially unconstitutional.

- The pay-per-signature/commission ban fails First Amendment scrutiny in all applications, and it is therefore facially unconstitutional.

These three laws are in addition to laws the judge previously found unconstitutional. The order Friday restated which laws were unconstitutional and enjoined the state from enforcing them.

Find a link to the full opinion in the comments.

CASE NO. 5:25-CV-5087

08/20/2026

Arkansas voters who signed petitions to put a constitutional amendment on the Nov. 3 ballot regarding the citizen initiative process will not have their signatures counted.

The Arkansas Supreme Court on Wednesday night dismissed the lawsuit filed by several Arkansas voters who argued that the Secretary of State's Office should count signatures despite the petitions using the incorrect popular name. They said voters weren't confused by the title that left off "Arkansas" and added "of 2026."

State attorneys had asked for the dismissal in their filings over the past week and pointed out that the law requires the exact popular name.

The court's decision comes hours before the Secretary of State's Office deadline to send the official statewide ballot to election officials in all 75 counties.

Arkansas voters will have three constitutional amendments referred by the legislature to decide on Nov. 3 along with a bond issue.

08/17/2026

What does your county clerk do? Thanks Arkansas Civic Action Network for highlighting this role and link to our educational materials on elected county officials.

Find out more about the role and responsibilities of elected county officials at https://uaex.uada.edu/business-communities/voter-education/local-offices.aspx

08/12/2026

08/07/2026

New Publication: Our colleague Dr. Frank Seo in the UA Community & Economic Development unit examines a “what-if” scenario in which rural counties add 100 jobs with the same national average productivity and work hours across three sectors: data centers, automobile manufacturing, and food manufacturing, with the latter two representing traditional rural manufacturing industries.

Read more at:

As AI expands, rural areas are increasingly targeted for new data centers. According to the Pew Research Center, while 87% of existing AI data centers are in urban areas, 67% of newly planned facilities are sited in rural counties (Seets & Radde, 2026). Local opinions about rural data centers are mi...

08/06/2026

An overview of the lawsuit filed yesterday.

Seven petitioners argue that rejecting all signatures because of non-material changes to the petitions infringes on Arkansans’ constitutional rights.

08/05/2026

LAWSUIT ALERT: Several Arkansas voters filed a lawsuit today (Aug. 5) asking the Arkansas Supreme Court to step in and order that signatures submitted last month for the Arkansas Ballot Measure Amendment be counted.

Secretary of State Cole Jester issued a letter last week saying no signatures submitted by Protect AR Rights would be counted because the petitions used a popular name different than what the Attorney General had certified.

The certified name is Arkansas Ballot Measure Amendment. The name on most of the petitions was Ballot Measure Amendment of 2026.

Aug. 20 is the deadline for the Secretary of State to send the official statewide ballot to counties.

The voters who filed the lawsuit said they signed the ballot measure amendment. Read the lawsuit at https://caseinfo.arcourts.gov/opad/case/CV-26-543

The case is CV-26-543: VALERIE HANNA V COLE JESTER

07/31/2026

🎒💸 Get your shopping lists ready for the 2026 Arkansas Sales Tax Holiday this weekend, Aug 1-2! Save on clothing, school supplies, electronics & more (yes, even diapers!) Clothing items under $100 are tax-exempt with no limit on how many you buy.

Extension personal finance expert Laura Hendrix shares her top tips for making the most of it, read the story here: https://uaex.uada.edu/media-resources/news/2026/july/07-13-2026-ark-tax-free-weekend.aspx

For a list of items and restrictions, visit the Arkansas Department of Finance and Administration's 2026 Sales Tax Holiday website: https://www.dfa.arkansas.gov/office/taxes/excise-tax-administration/sales-use-tax/2024-sales-tax-holiday/



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