Shown verbatim: the complete text as captured from the official PDF posted by the Arkansas General Assembly, fetched 2026-07-23. Page and line markers are part of the official record; nothing is edited or removed. The official bill page.
Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
1 State of Arkansas As Engrossed: S3/10/25 S3/12/25
2 95th General Assembly
A Bill
3 Regular Session, 2025 SENATE BILL 353
4
5 By: Senator Hester
6 By: Representative Wooldridge
7
8 For An Act To Be Entitled
9 AN ACT TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW CONCERNING THE DATES FOR
10 ELECTIONS; TO AMEND THE DATES OF PRIMARY ELECTIONS,
11 SCHOOL ELECTIONS, AND CERTAIN SPECIAL ELECTIONS; TO
12 CHANGE THE DATE OF THE FISCAL SESSION OF THE GENERAL
13 ASSEMBLY; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
14
15
16 Subtitle
17 TO AMEND ARKANSAS LAW CONCERNING THE
18 DATES FOR ELECTIONS; TO AMEND THE DATES
19 OF PRIMARY ELECTIONS, SCHOOL ELECTIONS,
20 AND CERTAIN SPECIAL ELECTIONS; AND TO
21 CHANGE THE DATE OF THE FISCAL SESSION OF
22 THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY.
23
24 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
25
26 SECTION 1. Arkansas Code � 6-14-102(a)(1)(A), concerning the date of
27 the annual school election, is amended to read as follows:
28 (a)(1)(A) The annual school election shall be held in each school district
29 of the state:
30 (i) In even-numbered years, on the date of the:
31 (a) Preferential primary election; or
32 (b) General election; and
33 (ii) In odd-numbered years, on the:
34 (a) Second Tuesday in November; or
35 (b) Second Tuesday in May First Tuesday after
36 the first Monday in March.
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1
2 SECTION 2. Arkansas Code � 6-14-111(k), concerning candidate filing
3 procedures for school elections, is amended to read as follows:
4 (k) The order in which the names of the respective candidates are to
5 appear on the ballot shall be determined by lot at the public meeting of the
6 county board of election commissioners held not later than:
7 (1) The deadline to conduct the ballot draw for the preferential
8 primary or general election for an annual school election held in even-
9 numbered years; and
10 (2) The seventh day of March for Eighty-nine (89) days before an
11 annual school election held on the second first Tuesday after the first
12 Monday in May March of an odd-numbered year; and
13 (3) Seventy-two (72) days before an annual school election held
14 on the second Tuesday of November of an odd-numbered year.
15
16 SECTION 3. Arkansas Code � 7-7-203(a) and (b), concerning the dates of
17 the general primary election and preferential primary election, are amended
18 to read as follows:
19 (a) The general primary election shall be held:
20 (1) For years in which the office of Governor will appear on the
21 ballot at the general election, on the third Tuesday in June preceding the
22 general election; and
23 (2) For years in which the office of President of the United
24 States will appear on the ballot at the general election, on the Tuesday four
25 (4) weeks following the preferential primary election.
26 (b) The preferential primary election shall be held:
27 (1) For years in which the office of Governor will appear on the
28 ballot at the general election, on the Tuesday four (4) weeks before the
29 general primary election; and
30 (2) For years in which the office of President of the United
31 States will appear on the ballot at the general election, on the first
32 Tuesday after the first Monday in March.
33
34 SECTION 4. Arkansas Code � 7-7-203(c)(1), concerning the dates of the
35 general primary election and preferential primary election, is amended to
36 read as follows:
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1 (c)(1) The party filing period shall be a one-week period beginning
2 and ending on the following dates and times:
3 (A) For years in which the office of Governor will appear
4 on the ballot at the general election, beginning at 12:00 noon one (1) week
5 prior to the first day in March and ending at 12:00 noon on the second day in
6 March; and
7 (B) For years in which the office of President of the
8 United States will appear on the ballot at the general election, beginning at
9 12:00 noon on the first Monday in November preceding the general primary
10 election and ending at 12:00 noon on the eighth day thereafter.
11
12 SECTION 5. Arkansas Code � 7-7-304(a)(1), concerning the names to be
13 included on the ballots in a preferential primary, is amended to read as
14 follows:
15 (a)(1) The Secretary of State shall certify to all county boards of
16 election commissioners full lists of the names of all candidates who have
17 filed party certificates with him or her to be placed on the ballots in their
18 respective counties at the preferential primary election not less than:
19 (A) Seventy-five (75) days before a preferential primary
20 election that is held in May under � 7-7-203; and
21 (B) Ninety-two ninety-two (92) days before a preferential
22 primary election that is held in March under � 7-7-203.
23
24 SECTION 6. Arkansas Code � 7-7-304(b)(1), concerning the names to be
25 included on the ballots in a preferential primary, is amended to read as
26 follows:
27 (b)(1) The county clerk shall certify to the county board of election
28 commissioners full lists of the names of all candidates who have filed party
29 certificates with him or her to be placed on the ballot at the preferential
30 primary election not less than:
31 (A) Seventy-five (75) days before a preferential primary
32 election that is held in May under � 7-7-203; and
33 (B) Ninety-two ninety-two (92) days before a preferential
34 primary election that is held in March under � 7-7-203.
35
36 SECTION 7. Arkansas Code � 7-7-305(b)(1), concerning the printing of
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1 ballots and draw for ballot position, is amended to read as follows:
2 (b)(1) The order in which the names of the respective candidates are
3 to appear on the ballots at all preferential and general primary elections
4 shall be determined by lot at the public meeting of the county board of
5 election commissioners held not later than:
6 (A) Seventy-two (72) days before a preferential primary
7 election that is held in May under � 7-7-203; and
8 (B) Eighty-nine eighty-nine (89) days before a
9 preferential primary election that is held in March under � 7-7-203.
10
11 SECTION 8. Arkansas Code � 7-11-205(a), concerning dates of special
12 elections on measures and questions, is amended to read as follows:
13 (a)(1) Except as provided in subdivision (a)(2) of this section,
14 all special elections on measures or questions referred to the voters by
15 governmental entities as authorized by law shall be held on the second
16 Tuesday of:
17 (A) First Tuesday after the first Monday in March or
18 November in a year when a presidential election is held; and or
19 (B) May or Second Tuesday of November of all other years.
20 (2)(A) Special elections scheduled to occur in a month in which
21 the second Tuesday is on a legal holiday:
22 (i) In March on the first Tuesday after the first
23 Monday shall be held on the second Tuesday of the month; and
24 (ii) In November on the second Tuesday shall be held
25 on the third Tuesday of the month.
26 (B) Special elections held in months in which a
27 preferential primary election or general election is scheduled to occur shall
28 be held on the date of the preferential primary election or general election.
29 (C) A special election on a measure or question may be
30 scheduled on the second Tuesday of a month, other than the months provided in
31 subdivision (a)(1) of this section, if necessary to comply with the
32 requirements of Arkansas Constitution, Article 5, � 1.
33
34 SECTION 9. Arkansas Code � 10-2-101(b)(1), concerning the time for
35 meeting by the General Assembly in fiscal session, is amended to read as
36 follows:
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1 (b)(1) The General Assembly shall meet in a fiscal session to consider
2 appropriation bills in each even-numbered year at 12:00 noon on the:
3 (A) Second Monday in February in years in which the
4 preferential primary election is held in May under � 7-7-203; and
5 (B) Second second Wednesday in April in years in which the
6 preferential primary election is held in March under � 7-7-203.
7
8 SECTION 10. Arkansas Code � 10-2-112(a)(1), concerning the prefiling
9 of bills and resolutions, is amended to read as follows:
10 (a)(1) The Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives and the
11 Secretary of the Senate, under the direction and supervision of the Speaker
12 of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate,
13 shall establish a system for the prefiling of bills and resolutions beginning
14 on:
15 (A) November 15 of each year preceding a regular session
16 of the General Assembly; and
17 (B) The second Monday of January of each year of a fiscal
18 session of the General Assembly which is held in a year in which the
19 preferential primary election is held in May under � 7-7-203; and
20 (C) The second Monday of March of each year of a fiscal
21 session of the General Assembly which is held in a year in which the
22 preferential primary election is held in March under � 7-7-203.
23
24 SECTION 11. Arkansas Code � 10-3-2104(d)(3), concerning reports under
25 the Continuing Advocacy Evaluation Act of 2004, is amended to read as
26 follows:
27 (3) If the House Committee on Education and the Senate Committee
28 on Education find that the recommendations in the most recent adequacy
29 evaluation report filed under this section should be amended, the House
30 Committee on Education and the Senate Committee on Education, jointly or
31 separately, or both, shall advise in writing the President Pro Tempore of the
32 Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of their findings and
33 amendments to the adequacy evaluation report:
34 (A) By November 1 of the calendar year before the
35 beginning of a fiscal session that is held in a year in which the
36 preferential primary election is held in May under � 7-7-203; and
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1 (B) By by March 1 of the calendar year before the
2 beginning of a fiscal session that is held in a year in which the
3 preferential primary election is held in March under � 7-7-203.
4
5 SECTION 12. Arkansas Code � 19-4-304(b), concerning regular and fiscal
6 session preparations, is amended to read as follows:
7 (b) The secretary shall submit the annual revenue forecast to the
8 Legislative Council:
9 (1) By December 1 of the year preceding a fiscal session that is
10 held in a year in which the preferential primary election will be held in May
11 under � 7-7-203;
12 (2) By February 1 of a year preceding a fiscal session that is
13 held in a year in which the preferential primary election is held in March
14 under � 7-7-203; and
15 (3)(2) No later than sixty (60) days before the start of a
16 regular session.
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18 /s/Hester
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6 03-12-2025 10:10:46 SSS199Every fact on this page links to its source, starting with the official bill record.