Early voting starts Tuesday, Feb. 17

Graphic courtesy of the Clark County Clerk’s Office

Early voting for the preferential primary begins Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, at the Arkadelphia Recreation Center. 

Polls will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays. Early voting ends March 2 at 5 p.m.

The primary election takes place Tuesday, March 3, from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. at one of nine Vote Centers located throughout Clark County.

Check the status of your voter registration and learn more general voting information by visiting the Clark County Clerk’s Office website.

A preferential primary is to elect the candidate to represent each party, narrowing down candidates for the general election.

There are contested seats on the federal, state and local level. 

On the local level, the Clark County Judge election has two Republican candidates: Bill Rogers and Ron Addington. The winner will face Democrat Michael Ankton in the general election in November.

There is also a contested race for Arkadelphia School Board for Zone 6, as well as an option to vote for or against the millage rate of 47.65 (more on that in just a moment).

On the state level, the Secretary of State has three Republican candidates: state Sen. Kim Hammer, Judge Cathy Hardin Harrison, and Bryan Norris. The Commissioner of State Lands has two Republican candidates: Secretary of State Cole Jester, and Christian Olson. The office of Governor has two Democrat candidates: Supha Xayprasith-Mays and state Sen. Fred Love; the winner will face incumbent Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders in the November election.

On the federal level, the U.S. Senate has three Republican candidates: Micah Ashby, Sen. Tom Cotton, and Jeb Little. There are two Democrat candidates: Hallie Shoffner and Mayor Ethan N. Dunbar. The U.S. Congress District 4 has two Democratic candidates: James “Rus” Russell III, and Steven Layne O’Donnell; the winner will face incumbent Rep. Bruce Westerman in November.

Additionally, there is a nonpartisan judicial general election to determine the Arkansas Supreme Court Associate Justice Position 3: John Adams or Arkansas Supreme Court Justice Nick Bronni.

It’s important to note that a new rule in primary elections prohibits registered Democrats from voting in GOP primary races. Read more about that in the embedded article below:

Sample ballot

The Arkansas Secretary of State offers voters a preview of their sample ballot before heading to the polls. 

To view your ballot, simply fill in your name and date of birth.

CLICK HERE to see a sample ballot.

Why is the school millage tax on the ballot?

Voters living within the boundaries of the Arkadelphia Public School District recently approved a proposed millage increase to fund the construction of a new high school. However, they’ll see the millage on the ballot again in the primary. Fear not, regardless of how you feel about the millage.

Clark County Clerk Tracy Pruitt explained that the Arkansas legislature recently passed a law standardizing school election dates, moving most school elections to the March election calendar.

“That means that even if a district just held a special election in November, it still must participate in the annual election cycle in March if it hasn’t already aligned with the new schedule,” Pruitt said. “They aren’t asking for a change. They are just required by law to place it each year.”

The millage increase cannot be overturned.

The March ballot item is simply the annual statutory item, not necessarily a new proposal for an increase, Pruitt explained. “If the rate hasn’t changed since November, the vote doesn’t raise the rate again—it just fulfills the annual election requirement.”