Arkansas voters have less than a month before early voting begins for the Nov. 3 general election, and people who plan to vote absentee face an earlier sequence of application and return deadlines. The Secretary of State’s 2026 election schedule lists Oct. 19 as the first day of early voting for the general election and nonpartisan runoff.
The most immediate planning issue is absentee eligibility. Arkansas does not offer no-excuse absentee voting. Under the state’s absentee-voting guidance, a voter must expect to be unavoidably absent from the polling place on Election Day; be unable to attend because of illness or physical disability; qualify as a uniformed-service member, merchant mariner or eligible family member away because of active duty; or be an Arkansas resident temporarily living outside the United States.
Application deadlines depend on delivery method
For applications submitted by mail or electronic means, the state deadline is seven days before the election—Oct. 27 for the Nov. 3 vote. Applications delivered in person or by a designated bearer are due by close of business Friday, Oct. 30. An authorized agent may apply as late as 1:30 p.m. on Election Day, but that route is limited: the agent must provide an affidavit from the head of an Arkansas hospital, nursing home or licensed care facility showing the voter is a patient and cannot reach the regular polling site.
Voters can ask their county clerk to send an application or download one from the state site and return it to the clerk in the county where they are registered. The Secretary of State directs county-specific questions to the relevant county clerk, reflecting the clerks’ central role in issuing and receiving absentee materials.
A requested ballot still must arrive on time
The return rules are not the same for every method. A ballot returned by mail or authorized agent must reach the county clerk by 7:30 p.m. Nov. 3. A voter returning a ballot in person, or using a designated bearer, must do so by close of business Oct. 30. Ballots may not be faxed or emailed. Separate federal protections apply to military and overseas voters: those voters must cast the ballot by Election Day, and the clerk must receive it by 5 p.m. ten days afterward.
Before making a voting plan, Arkansans can use the state’s VoterView portal to confirm their registered address and party information, check ballot status and find a polling place. The Secretary of State’s official 2026 election calendar provides the full administrative timeline. A general-election runoff, where required, is scheduled for Dec. 1.
