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.
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.
· 1902
o September 1: General election (Reel MG00001)
o September 1: Constitutional offices
· 1904
o November 8: Presidential electors
· 1906
o September 3: General election (Reel MG00001-MG00002)
o September 3: Constitutional offices
o November 6: Congressional election
· 1908
o September 14: General election (Reel MG00002-MG00003)
o September 14: Constitutional offices
o November 3: Congressional election
o November 3: Presidential electors (Reel MG00003-MG00004)
· 1909
o July 1: Special election, Justices of the peace and Supreme Court
· 1910
o September 12: General election
· 1912
o September 9: General election
o September 9: Justices of the peace (Reel MG00005)
o November 5: Congressional election
o November 5: Presidential electors
· 1913
o July 23: Special election, Governor
· 1914
o September 14: General election
o November 3: Congressional election
o November 3: Senatorial election (Reel MG00005-MG00006)
· 1916
o November 7: General election
o November 7: Justices of the peace
o November 7: Congressional election
o November 7: Presidential electors
· 1917
o June 26: Constitutional convention delegates
· 1918
o November 5: General election (Reel MG00006-MG00007)
o December 14: Proposed 1918 Constitution
· 1920
o November 2: General election
o November 2: Justices of the peace
o November 2: Presidential electors
· 1922
o October 3: General election
o October 3: Justices of the peace (Reel MG00008)
o November 7: Congressional election
· 1923
o October 20: Special election, 6th congressional district
· 1924
o August 12: Democratic primary
o October 7: General election
o October 7: Justices of the peace
o November 4: Congressional election
o November 4: Presidential electors
· 1926
o August 10: Democratic primary (Reel MG00009)
o October 5: General election
o October 5: Constitutional offices
o October 5: Justices of the peace
o November 2: Congressional election
· 1928
o August 14: Democratic primary
o November 6: General election (Reel MG00010)
o November 6: Constitutional offices
o November 6: Justices of the peace
o November 6: Presidential electors
· 1930
o August 12: Democratic primary
o November 4: General election (Reel MG00010-MG00011)
o November 4: Justices of the peace
· 1932
o January 12: Special election, U.S. Senate
o August 9: Democratic primary
o November 8: General election
o November 8: Constitutional offices
o November 8: Justices of the peace (Reel MG00012)
o November 8: Presidential electors
· 1933
o July 18: Special election, 21st Amendment to U.S. Constitution (repeal of the 18th Amendment); Supreme Court
· 1934
o August 14: Democratic primary
o November 6: General election
o November 6: Constitutional offices
o November 6: Justices of the peace
· 1936
o August 11: Democratic primary (Reel MG00013)
o November 3: General election
o November 3: Justices of the peace
· 1937
o October 18: Special election, Justices of the peace and U.S. Senate
· 1938
o August 9: Democratic primary
o November 8: General election
o November 8: Justices of peace (Reel MG00014)
· 1940
o August 13: Democratic primary preferential
o August 27: Democratic primary runoff
o November 5: General election
o November 5: Justices of the peace
o November 5: Presidential electors
· 1942
o July 28: Democratic primary preferential
o August 11: Democratic primary runoff
o November 3: General election (Reel MG00015)
o November 3: Justices of the peace
· 1944
o July 25: Democratic primary preferential
o August 8: Democratic primary runoff
o November 7: General election (Reel MG00015-MG00016)
o November 7: Justices of the peace
o November 7: Presidential electors
· 1945
o January 22: Special election, 12th district state senate
· 1946
o July 30: Democratic primary preferential
o August 13: Democratic primary runoff
o July 16: 1st Federal primary
o August 6: 2nd Federal primary
o November 5: General election
o November 5: Justices of the peace
· 1948
o July 27: Democratic primary preferential (Reel MG00017)
o August 9: Democratic primary runoff
o November 2: General election
o November 2: Justices of the peace
o November 2: Presidential electors
· 1950
o July 25: Democratic primary preferential
o August 8: Democratic primary runoff
o November 7: General election (Reel MG00018)
o November 7: Justices of the peace
· 1952
o July 29: Democratic primary preferential
o August 12: Democratic primary runoff
o November 4: General election
o November 4: Justices of the peace
o November 4: Presidential electors
· 1954
o July 27: Democratic primary preferential (Reel MG00019)
o August 10: Democratic primary runoff
o November 2: General election
o November 2: Justices of the peace
· 1956
o July 31: Democratic primary preferential
o August 14: Democratic primary runoff
o November 6: General election (Reel MG00019-MG00020)
o November 6: Justices of the peace
o November 6: Presidential electors
· 1958
o August 12: Democratic primary runoff
o November 4: General election
o November 4: Justices of the peace
· 1960
o July 26: Democratic primary preferential
o August 9: Democratic primary runoff
o November 8: General election
o November 8: Justices of the peace (Reel MG00021)
o November 8: Presidential electors
· 1962
o July 31: Democratic primary preferential (Reel MG00022)
o August 14: Democratic primary runoff
o November 6: General election
o November 6: Constitutional offices
o November 6: Justices of the peace
· 1964
o July 28: Democratic primary preferential
o August 11: Democratic primary runoff
o November 3: Presidential electors
o November 3: General election (Reel MG00023)
o November 3: Constitutional offices
o November 3: Justices of the peace
o November 3: Proposed and initiated constitutional amendments
· 1965
o February 27: Special election, State highway bond issue
· 1966
o July 26: Democratic primary preferential (Reel MG00024)
o July 26: 4th congressional district
o August 9: Democratic primary runoff
o August 9: 4th congressional district
o November 8: General election
o November 8: Constitutional offices
o November 8: Justices of the peace
· 1968
o July 30: Democratic primary preferential (Reel MG00025)
o August 13: Democratic primary runoff
o November 5: Justices of the peace
o November 5: Presidential electors
o November 5: General election, book I, Arkansas-Lee counties
o November 5: General election, book II, Lincoln-Yell counties (Reel MG00026)
· 1972
o November 7: Initiative Act 1
· 1974
o November 5: Proposed constitutional amendments, 54-57.
· 1976
o November 2: Justices of the peace
· 1978
o November 7: Justices of the peace
