Arkansas Ballot, November 3, 2026: Issues 1–4

Page last updated October 4, 2026

On November 3, 2026, Arkansas voters will decide four statewide measures. The Secretary of State numbered them Issue 1 through Issue 4. The General Assembly sent all four to the ballot; none came from a citizen petition. Issues 1, 2 and 3 would change the Arkansas Constitution, and each would start on January 1, 2027, if voters approve it. Issue 4 is not an amendment. It asks whether the state may borrow up to $500 million for water and pollution projects. Each issue passes if more than half of the people voting on it vote FOR it.

Issue 1

Popular name, as the Secretary of State's notice prints it:

A Constitutional Amendment to be Known as "The Citizens Only Voting Amendment" and Providing That Only a Citizen of the United States Meeting the Qualifications of an Elector Under the Arkansas Constitution May Vote in an Election in this State.

A vote FOR would add two new parts to Article 3, Section 1 of the Arkansas Constitution. The first says "only a citizen of the United States meeting the qualifications of an elector" may vote in an election in this state. The second says a person who does not meet those qualifications "shall not be permitted to vote in any state or local election held in this state." It would also reword the opening of the existing list of voter qualifications to say "to vote in an election in this state a person shall be" as listed.

A vote AGAINST would leave Article 3, Section 1 of the Arkansas Constitution as it is now. That section already lists being a citizen of the United States as a qualification to vote.

Issue 2

Popular name, as the Secretary of State's notice prints it:

A Constitutional Amendment to Amend Arkansas Constitution, Article 2, § 5, to Protect the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

A vote FOR would rewrite Article 2, Section 5 of the Arkansas Constitution. The right to keep and bear arms would be for "common defense," for "lawful hunting and recreational use," and for "any other lawful purpose." The right would include "without limitation the possession and use of ammunition, firearm accessories, and firearm components." It would be "a natural, fundamental, and individual right that shall not be infringed."

A vote AGAINST would leave Article 2, Section 5 of the Arkansas Constitution as it is now. That section now protects the right to keep and bear arms "for their common defense."

Issue 3

Popular name, as the Secretary of State's notice prints it:

A Constitutional Amendment Concerning Economic Development in the State of Arkansas; and Authorizing the General Assembly to Provide for the Creation of Economic Development Districts Within Cities, Counties, or Cooperative Areas to Promote Economic Development Within the Economic Development District.

A vote FOR would let the General Assembly provide for economic development districts within cities, counties, or cooperative areas. It would also let the General Assembly make loans and grants of public money for economic development, "notwithstanding any other provision of the Arkansas Constitution." A county or city could also appropriate money for a corporation, association, institution, or individual to "provide funding or lend credit to an economic development district." A district could issue bonds that would not be subject to Article 16, Section 1, Amendment 62, or Amendment 65. Property inside a district would be exempt from taxes. The exception is the taxes, assessments, or other charges the district itself levies. Bonds that a county or city issues for these programs and pays from property taxes would need approval by "a vote of the majority of the qualified electors" voting on the issue.

A vote AGAINST would leave Article 12, Section 5; Article 16, Section 5; and Section 6 of Amendment 62 of the Arkansas Constitution as they are now. None of these three sections mentions economic development districts today, and district bonds would not be outside the borrowing rules in Article 16, Section 1, Amendment 62 and Amendment 65.

Issue 4

This question has no popular name. Its ballot title, as the Secretary of State's notice prints it:

Arkansas Water, Waste Disposal, and Pollution Abatement Facilities Financing Act of 2025.

A vote FOR would let the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission issue up to $500 million in general obligation bonds. The full faith and credit of the State would back them. The money would go to water, waste disposal, water pollution control, abatement and prevention, drainage, irrigation, flood control, and wetlands and aquatic resources projects. No more than $165 million of it could go to irrigation facilities. Without the General Assembly's approval first, no more than $60 million could be issued in any two-year period.

A vote AGAINST would mean the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission could not issue these bonds. Act 578 says the bonds "shall not be sold or issued," and that part of the law "shall be of no further effect."