Arkansas early ballots surpass 450,000 as turnout trends narrow

Arkansas residents have cast nearly 460,000 early or absentee ballots in the first ten days of the current election cycle. This total places the state ahead of its 2022 midterm pace, although the rate of growth has slowed over the last day. Data from Turnout Tracker shows that 459,941 voters participated through Thursday, October 29. That figure represents a 17.3% increase over the 392,063 ballots recorded during the same period four years ago.

The current total equates to 24.9% of the state's 1.85 million registered voters. Most of these ballots were cast in person, with 451,762 voters going to polling places and 8,179 submitting absentee votes. The early voting count already matches roughly half of the 914,227 total ballots cast in the 2022 midterm election. Statewide, the percentage increase over 2022 levels dropped from 19.2% after nine days to 17.3% after ten days.

County-level results show distinct differences in turnout patterns. Sebastian County recorded 16,130 early ballots through Thursday, a 13.5% rise from the 14,208 cast in 2022. This group accounts for 22.2% of the county's 72,691 registered voters. In contrast, Crawford County saw a much smaller increase. The county recorded 7,236 early ballots, which is only 1.7% higher than the 7,116 from 2022. Crawford County's early total represents 19.9% of its 36,320 registered voters.

Demographic data indicates that older voters continue to dominate early participation. Statewide, voters aged 65 and older account for 48.5% of early ballots, up from 45.9% in 2022. In Sebastian County, this group makes up 51% of early votes, while in Crawford County, they represent 54.8%. Younger voters have increased their share in some brackets. Statewide, 18-to-24-year-olds now account for 4% of early ballots, compared with 2.8% in 2022.

Voting habits also reflect a reliance on frequent participants. Frequent voters cast 83.7% of early ballots statewide, slightly higher than the 81% share in 2022. Crawford County has the highest concentration of frequent voters at 86.3%, up from 81.1% four years ago. New voters make up a smaller share this cycle, accounting for 6.3% of the statewide early vote compared with 9.6% in 2022.

Turnout Tracker compiles these figures from daily data files provided by the Arkansas Secretary of State’s Office. The numbers are preliminary and may change as counties update their records. Early voting continues Friday, October 30, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, October 31, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The final day for early voting is Monday, November 2, with polls open until 5 p.m.