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Arkansas state executive official elections, 2018

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2022
2014
Arkansas state executive official elections
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Election details
Filing deadline: March 1, 2018
Primary: May 22, 2018
Primary runoff: June 19, 2018 (if needed)
General: November 6, 2018
How to vote
Poll times: 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Voting in Arkansas
Ballotpedia analysis
Federal and state primary competitiveness
State executive elections in 2018
Impact of term limits in 2018
State government trifectas and triplexes
Other state executive elections

The following state executive offices were up for election in Arkansas in 2018:

Governor
Lieutenant governor
Attorney general
Secretary of state
Auditor
Treasurer
Public lands commissioner

Candidates and election results

Governor

General election

General election for Governor of Arkansas

Incumbent Asa Hutchinson defeated Jared Henderson and Mark West in the general election for Governor of Arkansas on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Asa Hutchinson
Asa Hutchinson (R)
 
65.3
 
582,406
Image of Jared Henderson
Jared Henderson (D) Candidate Connection
 
31.8
 
283,218
Image of Mark West
Mark West (L) Candidate Connection
 
2.9
 
25,885

Total votes: 891,509
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Arkansas

Jared Henderson defeated Leticia Sanders in the Democratic primary for Governor of Arkansas on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Jared Henderson
Jared Henderson Candidate Connection
 
63.3
 
67,046
Image of Leticia Sanders
Leticia Sanders
 
36.7
 
38,873

Total votes: 105,919
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Arkansas

Incumbent Asa Hutchinson defeated Jan Morgan in the Republican primary for Governor of Arkansas on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Asa Hutchinson
Asa Hutchinson
 
69.6
 
143,648
Image of Jan Morgan
Jan Morgan
 
30.4
 
62,757

Total votes: 206,405
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Lieutenant governor

General election

General election for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas

Incumbent Tim Griffin defeated Anthony Bland and Frank Gilbert in the general election for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tim Griffin
Tim Griffin (R)
 
64.2
 
570,433
Image of Anthony Bland
Anthony Bland (D)
 
33.0
 
293,535
Image of Frank Gilbert
Frank Gilbert (L)
 
2.8
 
24,767

Total votes: 888,735
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas

Anthony Bland advanced from the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
Image of Anthony Bland
Anthony Bland

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas

Incumbent Tim Griffin advanced from the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
Image of Tim Griffin
Tim Griffin

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Attorney general

General election

General election for Attorney General of Arkansas

Incumbent Leslie Rutledge defeated Mike Lee and Kerry Hicks in the general election for Attorney General of Arkansas on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Leslie Rutledge
Leslie Rutledge (R)
 
61.8
 
549,668
Image of Mike Lee
Mike Lee (D)
 
35.4
 
315,099
Image of Kerry Hicks
Kerry Hicks (L)
 
2.8
 
24,652

Total votes: 889,419
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Attorney General of Arkansas

Mike Lee advanced from the Democratic primary for Attorney General of Arkansas on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
Image of Mike Lee
Mike Lee

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Attorney General of Arkansas

Incumbent Leslie Rutledge advanced from the Republican primary for Attorney General of Arkansas on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
Image of Leslie Rutledge
Leslie Rutledge

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Secretary of state

General election

General election for Arkansas Secretary of State

John Thurston defeated Susan Inman and Christopher Olson in the general election for Arkansas Secretary of State on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of John Thurston
John Thurston (R)
 
60.6
 
537,581
Image of Susan Inman
Susan Inman (D)
 
36.5
 
323,644
Image of Christopher Olson
Christopher Olson (L) Candidate Connection
 
2.9
 
25,320

Total votes: 886,545
(100.00% precincts reporting)
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arkansas Secretary of State

Susan Inman advanced from the Democratic primary for Arkansas Secretary of State on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
Image of Susan Inman
Susan Inman

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arkansas Secretary of State

John Thurston defeated Trevor Drown in the Republican primary for Arkansas Secretary of State on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of John Thurston
John Thurston
 
52.6
 
100,794
Image of Trevor Drown
Trevor Drown
 
47.4
 
90,927

Total votes: 191,721
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Auditor

General election

General election for Arkansas Auditor of State

Incumbent Andrea Lea defeated David Dinwiddie in the general election for Arkansas Auditor of State on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Andrea Lea
Andrea Lea (R)
 
72.4
 
621,772
Image of David Dinwiddie
David Dinwiddie (L)
 
27.6
 
237,602

Total votes: 859,374
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arkansas Auditor of State

Incumbent Andrea Lea advanced from the Republican primary for Arkansas Auditor of State on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
Image of Andrea Lea
Andrea Lea

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Treasurer

General election

General election for Arkansas Treasurer

Incumbent Dennis Milligan defeated Ashley Ewald in the general election for Arkansas Treasurer on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Dennis Milligan
Dennis Milligan (R)
 
70.9
 
611,189
Image of Ashley Ewald
Ashley Ewald (L)
 
29.1
 
250,943

Total votes: 862,132
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arkansas Treasurer

Incumbent Dennis Milligan advanced from the Republican primary for Arkansas Treasurer on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
Image of Dennis Milligan
Dennis Milligan

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Public lands commissioner

General election

General election for Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands

Tommy Land defeated Larry Williams and T.J. Campbell in the general election for Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands on November 6, 2018.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Tommy Land
Tommy Land (R)
 
60.0
 
530,230
Image of Larry Williams
Larry Williams (D)
 
36.7
 
323,682
Image of T.J. Campbell
T.J. Campbell (L)
 
3.3
 
29,123

Total votes: 883,035
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands

Larry Williams advanced from the Democratic primary for Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
Image of Larry Williams
Larry Williams

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Republican primary election

Republican primary for Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands

Tommy Land advanced from the Republican primary for Arkansas Commissioner of State Lands on May 22, 2018.

Candidate
Image of Tommy Land
Tommy Land

Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Context of the 2018 elections

Party control in Arkansas

A state government trifecta is a term that describes single-party government, when one political party holds the governor's office and has majorities in both chambers of the legislature in a state government. Republicans in Arkansas gained a state government trifecta as a result of the 2014 elections, when they recaptured the governor's office and retained control of the state legislature. Democrats had trifectas in the state from 1992 to 1997 and 2007 to 2013.

Arkansas Party Control: 1992-2025
Eleven years of Democratic trifectas  •  Eleven years of Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
Governor D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R
Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R
House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R R R R R R

Voter information

How the primary works

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Arkansas utilizes an open primary system. Registered voters do not have to be members of a party to vote in that party's primary.[1][2]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

Poll times

In Arkansas, all polls are open from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Election Day. An individual who is in line at the time polls close must be allowed to vote.[3]

Registration requirements

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in Arkansas, one must be a citizen of the United States and a resident of Arkansas. A voter must be 18 years of age or older on or before Election Day, not be a convicted felon whose sentence has not been discharged or pardoned, and not be adjudged as mentally incompetent.[4]

Registration must be completed no later than 30 days before the election in which a voter wishes to participate. Citizens must complete and submit a voter registration application to their county clerk or other authorized voter registration agency. For voters that submit applications by mail, the date of postmark will be considered the submission date. Applications may be obtained at the following locations:[4]

  • County clerk's office
  • The Arkansas Secretary of State Elections Division
  • Local revenue or DMV office
  • Public library
  • Disability agency
  • Military recruitment office
  • Online

Automatic registration

Arkansas does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Arkansas does not permit online voter registration.

Same-day registration

Arkansas does not allow same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

Arkansas law requires 30 days of residency in the state before a person may vote.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Arkansas does not require proof of citizenship for voter registration. An individual must attest that they are a U.S. citizen when registering to vote. According to the state's voter registration application, a voter who provides false information "may be subject to a fine of up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment of up to 10 years under state and federal laws."[5]

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment.[6] Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The site Voter View, run by the Arkansas Secretary of State's office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Arkansas requires voters to present photo identification while voting. The identification must include the voter’s name and photograph. It must be issued by "the United States, the State of Arkansas, or an accredited postsecondary educational institution in the State of Arkansas." If the identification has an expiration date on it, it cannot be expired for "more than four (4) years before the date of the election in which the voter seeks to vote."[4]

The following list of accepted ID was current as of July 2024. Click here for the Arkansas Secretary of State's page on accepted ID to ensure you have the most current information.

  • Driver’s license
  • Photo identification card
  • Concealed handgun carry license
  • United States passport
  • Employee badge or identification document issued by an accredited postsecondary education institution in the State of Arkansas
  • United States military identification document
  • Public assistance identification card if it has a photograph
  • Voter verification card as provided under Ark. Code § 7-5-324

"A person who is a resident of a long-term care or residential care facility licensed by the state of Arkansas is not required to verify his or her registration by presenting a document or identification card as described above when voting in person, but must provide documentation from the administrator of the facility attesting that the person is a resident of the facility," according to the Arkansas Secretary of State’s office.[4]

Voters can obtain a voter verification card at their county clerk's office: "[V]oters will be required to complete an affidavit stating they do not possess such identification, and must provide documentation containing their full legal name and date of birth, as well as documentation containing their name and residential address."[7]

Early voting

Arkansas permits early voting. Learn more by visiting this website.

Early voting permits citizens to cast ballots in person at a polling place prior to an election. In states that permit no-excuse early voting, a voter does not have to provide an excuse for being unable to vote on Election Day. States that allow voters to cast no-excuse absentee/mail-in ballots in person are counted as no-excuse early voting states.

Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia permit no-excuse early voting.

Absentee voting

Arkansas voters are eligible to vote absentee/mail-in in an election if they cannot make it to the polls on Election Day for one of the following reasons:[8]

  • The voter will be "unavoidably absent" from his or her polling location on Election Day.
  • The voter is physically unable to visit his or her polling location on Election Day due to illness or disability.
  • The voter is a member of the armed services, merchant marines, or is the spouse or dependent of such an individual and "are away from your polling location due to the member’s active duty status."
  • The voter is temporarily living outside the United States.

To vote absentee/mail-in, a request must be received by elections officials either seven days prior to the election (if submitted by mail or fax), by the Friday before the election (if submitted in person), or by 1:30 p.m. on the day of the election if the request is made by an authorized agent for a voter confined in a hospital or nursing home. The deadline to return an absentee/mail-in ballot is by close of business the Friday before the election if returned in person, or received by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day if submitted by mail or by an authorized agent. Military and overseas voters must complete their ballot by Election Day and they must be received by their county clerk by 5:00 p.m. 10 days after the election.[8][9][10]


Impact of term limits

See also: Impact of term limits on state executive elections in 2018

Seven state executive seats in Arkansas were up for election in 2018. In the 2018 elections, two officials were ineligible to run because of term limits. The following state officials were term-limited in 2018:

Republicans (2):

Of the 283 state executives offices on the ballot in 2018, 131 of them were represented by incumbents who were subject to term limits. Of the 36 gubernatorial seats up for election in 2018, 13 governors—two Democrats and 11 Republicans—were term-limited and therefore unable to run for re-election. Of the 31 states with term limits that held state executives elections in 2018, some incumbents in 18 of the states were term-limited.

A total of 49 state executive officials were ineligible to run in the 2018 elections because of term limits. This represented 17 percent of the 283 total seats up for election in 2018.[11] Republicans had more than six times as many state executive officials term-limited in 2018 than Democrats. A total of seven Democrats were term-limited, while 40 Republicans were term-limited. The other two term-limited officials were nonpartisan.

Past elections

2016

There were no state executive elections in Arkansas in 2016.

2014

The following elections took place in 2014.

2012

There were no state executive elections in Arkansas in 2012.

Recent news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Arkansas state executive election 2018. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.


State profile

Demographic data for Arkansas
 ArkansasU.S.
Total population:2,977,853316,515,021
Land area (sq mi):52,0353,531,905
Race and ethnicity**
White:78%73.6%
Black/African American:15.5%12.6%
Asian:1.4%5.1%
Native American:0.6%0.8%
Pacific Islander:0.2%0.2%
Two or more:2.1%3%
Hispanic/Latino:6.9%17.1%
Education
High school graduation rate:84.8%86.7%
College graduation rate:21.1%29.8%
Income
Median household income:$41,371$53,889
Persons below poverty level:22.9%11.3%
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Arkansas.
**Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here.

Presidential voting pattern

See also: Presidential voting trends in Arkansas

Arkansas voted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.

Pivot Counties (2016)

Ballotpedia identified 206 counties that voted for Donald Trump (R) in 2016 after voting for Barack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012. Collectively, Trump won these Pivot Counties by more than 580,000 votes. Of these 206 counties, one is located in Arkansas, accounting for 0.5 percent of the total pivot counties.[12]

Pivot Counties (2020)

In 2020, Ballotpedia re-examined the 206 Pivot Counties to view their voting patterns following that year's presidential election. Ballotpedia defined those won by Trump won as Retained Pivot Counties and those won by Joe Biden (D) as Boomerang Pivot Counties. Nationwide, there were 181 Retained Pivot Counties and 25 Boomerang Pivot Counties. Arkansas had one Retained Pivot County, 0.55 percent of all Retained Pivot Counties.

More Arkansas coverage on Ballotpedia

See also

Arkansas State Executive Elections News and Analysis
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Arkansas State Executive Offices
Arkansas State Legislature
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2025202420232022202120202019201820172016
Arkansas elections: 2025202420232022202120202019201820172016
Party control of state government
State government trifectas
State of the state addresses
Partisan composition of governors

External links

Footnotes

  1. National Conference of State Legislatures Website, "State Primary Election Types," accessed April 3, 2023
  2. Ballotpedia research conducted December 26, 2013, through January 3, 2014, researching and analyzing various state websites and codes.
  3. Arkansas Code, "Title 7, Chapter 5, Subchapter 304," accessed April 3, 2023
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Arkansas Secretary of State, "Voter Registration Information," accessed July 29, 2024
  5. Arkansas Secretary of State, "Arkansas Voter Registration Application," accessed November 1, 2024
  6. Under federal law, the national mail voter registration application (a version of which is in use in all states with voter registration systems) requires applicants to indicate that they are U.S. citizens in order to complete an application to vote in state or federal elections, but does not require voters to provide documentary proof of citizenship. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the application "may require only the minimum amount of information necessary to prevent duplicate voter registrations and permit State officials both to determine the eligibility of the applicant to vote and to administer the voting process."
  7. Arkansas Secretary of State, "Frequently Asked Questions," accessed July 29, 2024
  8. 8.0 8.1 Arkansas Secretary of State, "Absentee Voting," accessed July 29, 2024
  9. Arkansas Secretary of State, "Military and Overseas Citizens," accessed April 3, 2023
  10. Arkansas Secretary of State, "Absentee Voting," accessed April 3, 2023
  11. Some of the 49 state executive officials in 2018 may have resigned before their term ended. These state executive officials were still counted in the total number of term-limited state executives in 2018.
  12. The raw data for this study was provided by Dave Leip of Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections.