Whether you have children or not, the well-being of our state’s kids is critical to everyone’s future. As advocates, it’s up to us to make sure voters and candidates are aware of the issues that matter most. Election years are an excellent time to call attention to the ways we can make Arkansas a better state to be and raise a child.
Scroll on, and download the PDF below. Save it to your mobile device, so you’ll have it handy when you encounter candidates!
Important Notice
USPS Postmark Information
As of Dec. 24, 2025, machine postmarks may no longer reflect the date you mail it. Arkansas requires mail-in voter registrations and absentee ballots to be postmarked by a deadline. A delayed postmark could prevent you from voting or having your vote counted!
Mail your registration or absentee ballot as early as you can. If you get to the deadline, take it directly to a post office counter and request a manual postmark to make sure it reflects the correct date. You can also take it directly your county clerk’s office.
Dates to Remember
Preferential Primary/Nonpartisan General/Annual School Elections
Feb. 2: Deadline to apply to register to vote in Preferential Primary
Feb. 16: Early voting begins
March 3: Preferential Primary/Nonpartisan General/Annual School Elections Day
General Election
Oct. 5: Deadline to apply to register to vote in General Election
Oct. 19: Early voting begins
Nov. 3: General Election Day
What’s on the Ballot
Arkansas Elections in 2026
U.S. Senate
U.S. House
Governor
State Senate
State House
State Supreme Court
School Boards
State Ballot Measures
Resources for Voters
Go to Arkansas VoterView to see your voter registration info, your voting location(s), and a sample ballot: voterview.ar-nova.org
If you face issues when trying to exercise your right to vote:
Disability Rights Arkansas
800-482-1174
Election Protection Coalition Helpline 866-687-8683
Para Español, Arkansas Unidos
479-763-2822
Why This Matters
Children’s Issues are Nonpartisan
Whether you have children or not, the well-being of our state’s kids is critical to everyone’s future. As advocates, it’s up to us to make sure voters and candidates are aware of the issues that matter most. Election years are an excellent time to call attention to the ways we can make Arkansas a better state to be and raise a child.
The following sections offer prompts to help you ask candidates their thoughts on issues critical to child well-being in our state.
Child Welfare
Children in the Foster Care System
The Issue: The number of Arkansas children in foster care is 3,390 as of October 2025. The number of foster homes is 1,362 as of October 2025, which is below the goal of 1,800.
What to Ask Candidates: What role should state government play in helping children in foster care?
Democracy
Ballot Measures and Voting Rights
The Issue: Arkansas has one of the lowest voter turnout and registration rates in the country. And many new laws have passed in the last several years that impact Arkansans’ experience voting and ability to propose ballot measures.
What to Ask Candidates: What are your thoughts on laws that have recently passed around ballot measures?
What laws would you support around voting and ballot measures?
Education
Early Childhood Education
The Issue: Children who go to high-quality preschool are more likely to succeed in K-12 and adulthood. But families are struggling to find high-quality care for their young children. And the early childhood education workforce is struggling to make ends meet and keep good workers.
What to Ask Candidates: What level of investment do you think the state should make in early childhood care and education?
Are there things you believe the state government should do to address challenges facing our early childhood education workforce?
Strong Public Schools
The Issue: The LEARNS Act overhauled Arkansas’s K-12 education system. Many of the law’s long-term effects, like the financial impact, are still unknown. LEARNS also promotes the shift of public education tax dollars toward private schools and homeschooling.
What to Ask Candidates: What do you think should be the state’s priorities for the public education system?
Equity
Racial Equity in Arkansas
The Issue: Racial identity should have no influence on how well a child fares in society. But it’s clear that both historic and existing structural racism in our laws and policies have a negative impact on the lives of Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) children and families. Even when you control for socioeconomic, health, education, and other factors, racial disparities continue to exist.
What to Ask Candidates: What laws do you think could help reduce disparities in outcomes for BIPOC kids and families in our state?
Family Economic & Food Security
Fighting Poverty and Hunger
The Issue: Around one in five Arkansas children live in poverty. And about 20% of Arkansas’s children also experience hunger. These children face challenges in school, have poorer health, and live in low-quality housing.
What to Ask Candidates: What role, if any, do you think the state government should play in addressing our high child poverty and hunger rates?
What state programs, if any, do you think best help families that live in poverty?
Health Care
Healthy Kids, Healthy Arkansas
The Issue: Arkansas has the highest maternal mortality of any state in the country. And we have the second-highest infant mortality rate. For several years, Arkansas reduced the number of children without health insurance. But our numbers are now going in the wrong direction.
What to Ask Candidates: What do you think needs to change to address the state of maternal and child health in Arkansas?
Tax & Budget
Investing in Kids
The Issue: Our state’s budget is a reflection of our values. What we invest public dollars in and how we raise public dollars shows what the state legislature’s priorities are.
What to Ask Candidates: Are there state programs for children and families you think should get more funding? Or less funding?
What do you think the state’s tax system should look like?
Juvenile Justice
Rehabilitation and Care
The Issue: By law, our juvenile justice system must give young people the resources they need to rejoin and thrive in their communities. Holding youth in juvenile lockups, especially for long periods, is bad for their well-being. And it increases the odds they will reoffend and re-enter the correctional system as adults.
What to Ask Candidates: What do you think should be done to effectively rehabilitate and care for children in the juvenile justice system?
What do you think is the best way to fund the juvenile justice system?