Date Original
1902-1978
Description
This collection contains election results from precincts and counties of Arkansas from 1902 to 1978. The tabulations were made at the county level and then submitted to the Secretary of State's Office. Some records are missing in the early years of the century and the 1970s.
Biographical/Historical Note
Democratic primaries: The official returns of the state Democratic Party primaries, first held in 1924, were submitted to the Secretary of State by each county's Democratic Party chairman. The first primary runoff was held in 1940. Official Republican Party records for primary elections are not included in the collection. Republican Party candidates were usually nominated during the state Republican Party convention until the 1960s. General elections: Election returns register voting results for offices within the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. Tabulations may include state constitutional offices, congressional elections, Justice of the Peace positions, and other county officials, such as judges, commissioners, and clerks. Constitutional offices: Returns for these offices provided for through the Arkansas Constitution, Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, etc. The office of Lieutenant Governor was added in 1926. Arkansas last had a Lieutenant Governor during Reconstruction. Justice of the peace: Records list the names of those elected as Justice of the Peace, but not the vote count. Originally, Justices of the Peace were magistrates with jurisdiction over a township. Today, they serve on the Quorum Court, which has become a county legislative body. Congressional elections: These records are the results of voting in Arkansas's congressional districts, which numbered seven from 1902 to 1950. Redistricting in 1951 left Arkansas with four congressional districts, which it still maintains today. Beginning in 1916, U. S. Senatorial races were included in these returns. Presidential electors: The Electoral College is the collective name for a group of electors, nominated by political parties within the states and popularly elected, who meet after each presidential election to vote for the president and vice president. Each party within a state selects a slate of electors numerically equal to the state's congressional delegation--representatives plus senators. The electors normally pledge to vote for the nominees of their party, but they are not constitutionally required to do so. Arkansas had nine electoral votes, the number of representatives and senators from the state, from 1902 to 1950. Since the 1951 congressional redistricting, Arkansas's electoral votes has been six. Special elections: Special elections are those that were not held with other regularly scheduled elections, such as primaries or general elections. Among the special elections in this collection are gubernatorial, congressional, and state senate elections.
Physical Description
Document, 8.5" x 11"
Geographical Area
Arkansas
Language
English
Identifier
MS.000536
Resource Type
Text
Collection
Certified election returns of Arkansas precincts and counties, MS.000536
Publisher
Arkansas State Archives
Contributing Entity
Arkansas State Archives
Recommended Citation
Certified Election Returns of Arkansas Precincts and Counties, Arkansas State Archives, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Rights
Use and reproduction of images held by the Arkansas State Archives without prior written permission is prohibited. For information on reproducing images held by the Arkansas State Archives, please call 501-682-6900 or email at state.archives@arkansas.gov.
Disciplines
United States History
