Handbook·Elections

Running for office in Arkansas

State page·Verified 2026-07-10

This page covers what's specific to Arkansas on top of the general guide to filing for local office.

Filing in Arkansas

Arkansas splits filing by level of office. State legislative and other state-level candidates file with the Secretary of State, following their political party's own qualifying rules if running as a partisan candidate. County-level offices, including the quorum court (the county's 11-member legislative body, members serving 2-year terms), plus township and city council seats, file with the County Clerk instead. Independent and nonpartisan candidates choose between paying a filing fee or circulating a nominating petition within a 90-day window. The 2026 filing period already closed (November 3-12, 2025) before this dossier was compiled, so treat these dates as the pattern for the next cycle rather than an open window.

Deadlines and numbers

  • 2026 partisan filing period: November 3-12, 2025, closed noon November 12
  • 2026 nonpartisan filing and pledge deadline: 3:00pm, November 12, 2025
  • Independent candidate petition circulation window: 90 days
  • Quorum court: 11 justices of the peace per county, 2-year terms

The dossier could not confirm exact filing fee dollar amounts by office (legislature, city council, quorum court) or exact independent-candidate petition signature counts by office. Route both to /engage or your county clerk.

Where to go