ABSENTEE VOTING

Arkansas Law allows a registered voter to apply to vote without having to appear in person at the poll.  This process is available to Voters who fall into one of the following categories:

(1) Voters who are unavoidably absent from the poll on election day,

(2) Voters who are unable to attend the polls on election day because of illness or physical disability, or

(3) Voters who are absent from the poll on election day because they reside in a long-term care or residential care facility licensed by the state. 

 

HOW TO APPLY:

CLICK HERE to access the Absentee Ballot Application Form

 

STEP ONE:       Date the Application and address the application to your county clerk. A list of county clerks with contact information is available HERE.

STEP TWO:      Indicate the reason you are requesting an absentee ballot.

STEP THREE:   Indicate your current residential situation

STEP FOUR:     Indicate the election(s) for which you wish to receive an absentee ballot. 

                       ►  Voters with disabilities, in a long-term or residential care facility, or living outside the county may request to receive absentee ballots for all elections in the next calendar year.

                         UOCAVA voters may request to receive an absentee ballot for all elections through the next Federal General Election Cycle. For more information about UOCAVA voters, click HERE. 

STEP FIVE:       Indicate how you would like to receive your ballot.

                         If you are using a designated bearer, administrator, or authorized agent to deliver your application and obtain your ballot, you must print that person’s name to the side of this option. That person will also need to sign the application. 

                         Only UOCAVA voters may receive ballots via electronic means.

STEP SIX:         Enter your printed name, the address at which you are registered to vote, and your date-of-birth on the application.

STEP SEVEN:  Read the certifications, and double check that you made all of the correct selections, then sign the application.

STEP EIGHT:    Ensure the designated bearer, administrator, or agent has signed the application, if applicable.

STEP NINE:      Return your application to your county clerk via mail, hand delivery, email, or fax.

CLICK HERE to find the contact information for your county clerk to return your application by mail.  You may also request your clerk send a blank absentee ballot application through the mail.    

 

UOCAVA VOTERS:

CLICK HERE for more information regarding UOCAVA voters.

UOCAVA voters include:

  • Uniformed Service members, Arkansas National Guard members, and Merchant Marine members who are absent from their place of residence while on active duty;
  • The spouses or dependents of Uniformed Service members, Arkansas National Guard members, and Merchant Marine members who are absent from the polls because of the that person’s active duty; and
  • American citizens living outside the territorial boundaries of the United States. 

 

DEADLINES TO APPLY:

  • Applying by Mail / Electronically:  If you submit your application by mail or by electronic means, it must arrive in the County Clerk’s Office no later than 7 days before the election.

  • Applying in Person: If you apply in person, you must do so by the close of business the Friday before the election.

  • Applying using a Designated Bearer: If you send your application with a third party, that person must also apply for your ballot no later than the close of business the Friday before the election.  

  • Applying using an Authorized Agent: However, if you send your application with an Authorized Agent (a third party with a signed affidavit from the administrative head of a hospital or a residential/long-term care facility stating you cannot vote in person because you are a patient/resident of that facility), they have until 1:30pm on election day to apply for your ballot.  

 

CLICK HERE for additional information regarding absentee voting available on the Secretary of State’s website