Arkansas State and Local Government

The Green Papers: State and Local Government

Arkansas

Governor:	1	(Term Limit: No one can serve more than 2 4-year terms in a lifetime)
Senators:	2	(Electoral Classes 2 and 3)
2000 Census:	2,679,733	(0.95% of 281,998,273)
2004, 2008 Electors:	6	(1.12% of 538)
2002-2010 Representatives:	4	(0.92% of 435)
2010 Census:	2,926,229	(0.94% of 309,785,186)
2012, 2016, 2020 Electors:	6	(1.12% of 538)
2012-2020 Representatives:	4	(0.92% of 435)
Capital:	Little Rock

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States Alphabetically Current Arkansas Statewide Office Holders


Official Name/Status All States
	The STATE of Arkansas
	Status: STATE of the Union
	Organized as a Territory: 2 March 1819. 3 Stat. 493: effective, 4 July 1819; previously, part of Missouri Territory
	Admitted to the Union as a State: 15 June 1836 Enabling Act (5 Stat. 50) also served as Act of Admission. Supplementary Enabling Act adopted by Congress, 23 June 1836; accepted by Ordinance of the Arkansas General Assembly, 18 October 1836
	The 25th state.


Traditional Sections and Regions All States
	Section: SOUTH
	Region: Upper ["Border"] South
	Survey: Public Domain

Constitutions All States Links to State Constitutions

Enabling Act (of the Congress of the United States): 15 June 1836 [5 Stat. 50: recognizing a State government already formed and admitting the State forthwith]

• 1st (1836-1864) [Adopted: 30 January 1836 Convention convened, 4 January 1836, Ratified: 30 January 1836 not submitted to the People; effective upon Admission, 15 June 1836
[NOTE:The state Convention that adopted the Ordinance of Secession, 6 May 1861, also slightly amended this Constitution (by, for example, replacing the words "United States" with "Confederate States"), such amendments adopted on 22 May 1861 (and not submitted to the People for ratification). The State of Arkansas considers this 1861 revision to be a separate, 2nd, Constitution from that of 1836 and, thus, numbers all subsequent State Constitutions (those from 1864 on) one ahead of the numerical sequence as seen on this list. 'The Green Papers', however, considers the 1861 revisions to be a mere recodification of the 1836 document made in order to bring it into better conformity with the Constitution of the Confederate States of America]]

• 2nd (1864-1868) [Adopted: 19 January 1864 adopted by Mass Meeting assembled 4 January 1864, Ratified: 14 March 1864 ratified by vote of 12,177 to 266]

• 3rd (1868-1874) [Adopted: 11 February 1868 Convention convened, 7 January 1868, Ratified: 13 March 1868 ratified by vote of 27,913 to 26,597]

• 4th (1874--) [Adopted: 7 September 1874 Convention convened, 14 July 1874, Ratified: 13 October 1874]

Executive Branch All States

Chief Executive
	• GOVERNOR
Successor to a Vacancy
	• President of the State Senate (1836-1864) [under State's 1st Constitution: would merely become "acting Governor"; next in line of succession: Speaker of the State House of Representatives]
	• Lieutenant Governor (1864-1874) [under State's 2nd and 3rd Constitutions: elected separately from Governor; next in line of succession: President (pro Tempore) of the Senate]
	• President of the State Senate (1874-1914) [under State's 4th Constitution: would merely become "acting Governor"; next in line of succession: Speaker of the State House of Representatives]
	• Lieutenant Governor (1914--) [via Amendment to the State's 4th Constitution: elected separately from GOVERNOR]

Major Executive Officers Elected Statewide All States 2012 Office holders
	• Governor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2010, 2014. Term Limit: No one can serve more than 2 4-year terms in a lifetime
	• Lieutenant Governor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2010, 2014
	• Secretary of State: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2010, 2014
	• Attorney General: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2010, 2014
	• Treasurer: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2010, 2014
	• Auditor: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2010, 2014
	• Commissioner of State Lands: 4 year term, Election Cycle: 2010, 2014

Legislative Branch All States

Legislature
	• GENERAL ASSEMBLY (1819--) [as both a Territory and a State]

Upper House
	• Legislative Council (1819-1836) [as a Territory]
	• Senate (1836--)
Lower House
	• House of Representatives (1819--) [as both a Territory and a State]

Judicial Branch All States

Court of Last Resort
	• Supreme Court (1836--) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: State]
Intermediate Appellate Court
	• Court of Appeals (1979--) Constitutional Court [IN: district FOR: State]

General Trial Jurisdiction
	• Circuit Court (1836--) Constitutional Court [IN: circuit FOR: county]

Limited Jurisdiction
	• Police Court (--2003) Statutory Court [FOR: municipality. Jurisdiction taken over by the District Court.]
	• Municipal Court/Mayor's Court (--1971) Statutory Court [FOR: municipality]
	• Justices of the Peace (1836-2001) Constitutional Court [IN: township FOR: township or county. Jurisdiction taken over by the District Court]
	• County Court (1836-1868) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: county. Also functioned as the county governing body]
	• Corporation Courts (1836--) Constitutional Court [FOR: municipality]
	• Supervisors' Court (1868-1874) Statutory Court [FOR: county]
	• County Court (1874-2003) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: county. Also functioned as the county governing body (in this capacity, known as the QUORUM COURT= justices of the peace of the county meeting with the county Judge; after 2001, the justices of the peace no longer exercised judicial functions and this also became true of the county Judge after 2003: however, the QUORUM COURT in this form still exists as the governing body of the county). Judicial jurisdiction taken over by the District Court.]
	• Court of Common Pleas (1874-2001) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: county. Jurisdiction taken over by the District Court]
	• City Court (1971--) Statutory Court [FOR: municipality]
	• District Court (2001--) Statutory Court [IN: district FOR: county. Had been known as Municipal Court* before taking over jurisdiction of* Court of Common Pleas and Justice of the Peace Courts in 2001; also took over jurisdiction of County Court and Police Court in 2003]
Special Jurisdiction
	• Court of Probate (1836-2001) Constitutional Court [IN and FOR: county. Beginning in 2002, the jurisdiction of this court was taken over by the Circuit Court]
	• Court of Chancery (1836-2001) Constitutional Court [IN: district FOR: county. Beginning in 2002, the jurisdiction of this court was taken over by the Circuit Court]

Local Government


PRIMARY CIVIL DIVISION All States
	• County [Type: Strong, Executive: Judge (of County Court), Legislative: QUORUM COURT (= justices of the peace meeting with the county Judge)]
	MINOR CIVIL DIVISION All States
		• township [Type: Vestigial, Executive and Legislative: no associated governmental structure. The Arkansas township has traditionally been the electoral unit for, as well as the jurisdiction of, the Justice of the Peace (although, in practice, the jurisdiction of a given J.P. tends to extend throughout the county)]

Incorporated Municipalities All States
	• City [Separated from MCD: ---, Population requirement(s): 500 +, Form(s) of government: Mayor/Aldermen; Commission; Board of Directors- Administrator OR Manager]
	• Town [Separated from MCD: ---, Population requirement(s): 499 -, Form(s) of government: Mayor/Aldermen]

Localities
	• Arkansas Civil Divisions and Municipalities


Key Statewide / Federal Officials All States
	Arkansas Officials

Statutory Election Information All States

General Election All States
	• Tuesday next after 1st Monday in November of even-numbered years [AR Code 7-5-102]... (NOTE: AR Constitution- Article 3, Section 8- sets the General Election date as the 1st Monday of September "but the General Assembly may by law fix a different time"-- and, quite obviously, it has done so)
Presidential Primary All States
	• What the statutes call a "Preferential Primary Election" is required for the selection of delegates to any Party's quadrennial National Nominating Convention. [AR Code 7-8-201]... [NOTE: the clear implication being that the date of the resultant Presidential Primary would be the same as that of such a "Preferential Primary Election" as stated in AR Code 7-7-203(b). Hence, the "Preferential Primary Election" is held 3 weeks [AR Code 7-7-203(b)] prior to the 2nd Tuesday in June "General Primary Election" [AR Code 7-7-203(a)].]
State Primary All States
	• per AR Code 7-7-203(a), what the statutes call a "General Primary Election" is held on the 2nd Tuesday in June prior to the General Election. [NOTE: this is, in fact, what would normally be called a "Runoff Election"]; per AR Code 7-7-203(b), what the statutes call a "Preferential Primary Election" is held exactly three (3) weeks prior to the so-called "General Primary Election". [NOTE: this is, in fact, what would normally be called a "(First) Primary Election" in those States with Runoff Elections]
Polling times All States
	• Polls open: 7:30 AM local time Polls close: 7:30 PM local time [AR Code 7-5-304]

Links Links to other web sites

Election Authority
	• Arkansas Secretary of State Presents: Vote Naturally \| Accurate, Accessible. For Arkansas
	• Secretary of State: Elections Department
Legislature
	• Arkansas General Assembly
	• Arkansas House of Representatives
	• Arkansas Senate
Democratic
	• The Democratic Party of Arkansas
Republican
	• The Republican Party of Arkansas
Third Party
	• Arkansas Libertarian Party
	• Arkansas Right to Life
	• Conservative Party USA Arkansas
	• Constitution Party of Arkansas The Constitution Party of Arkansas reorganized and incorporated and is be affiliated with the National Party as approved during the National Committee meeting in Boise 21 April 2007.
	• Green Party of Arkansas
	• Natural Law Party of Arkansas
Media & others
	• Arkansas Business.com - Little Rock
	• Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - Little Rock
	• Arkansas News Bureau
	• Arkansas Times - Little Rock
	• Batesville Daily Guard
	• Benton County Daily Record
	• DC's Political Report - Arkansas
	• Evening Times - West Memphis
	• KAIT TV - ABC - Jonesboro
	• KARK TV - NBC - Little Rock
	• KATV TV - ABC - Little Rock
	• KLRT TV - FOX - Little Rock
	• KTHV - CBS - Little Rock
	• Lynch at Large
	• NWANews.com - Arkansas Democrat-Gazette - Fayetteville
	• Pine Bluff Commercial
	• Politics1.com - Arkansas
	• Talk Business River Rock Communications
	• The Arkansas Project
	• The Atkins Chronicle - The Dover Times
	• The Baxter Bulletin - Mountain Home
	• The Jonesboro Sun
	• The Leader - Jacksonville
	• The Morning News - Springdale - Rogers - Bentonville - Fayetteville
	• The Sentinel-Record - Hot Springs
	• The Times Dispatch - Lawrence County
	• The Times Record - Fort Smith
	• TheCabin.net - Log Cabin Democrat of Conway
	• Van Buren Press Argus