by Antoinette Grajeda, Arkansas Advocate
December 30, 2025
The 2026 election cycle begins early for some Arkansans who can start casting ballots in two special legislative elections that were the focus of legal challenges over their timing.
Early voting begins Tuesday for the elections in Senate District 26 and House District 70.
The seats became vacant following the death of Republican Sen. Gary Stubblefield of Branch and the resignation of Republican Rep. Carlton Wing of North Little Rock. Wing stepped down to take over the helm of Arkansas PBS, which this month announced plans to disaffiliate with PBS.
Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders originally scheduled the Senate District 26 special election for Nov. 3, 2026, the same day as the general election. Sanders later revised the date to June 9, following bipartisan pushback that the November date would leave constituents without representation during April’s fiscal session.
Lawmakers are expected to discuss funding for a controversial prison project in Franklin County, which is located in Stubblefield’s district, during the session. Stubblefield was an outspoken opponent of the prison project. All the of candidates running for his seat have said they oppose a prison in Franklin County.
Following legal challenges, the special elections in both Senate District 26 and House District 70 were ultimately moved to March 3, with primaries in each contest scheduled for Jan. 6.
2026 Voter Guide
The candidates, the ballot measures, and the tools you need to cast your vote.
To help you stay informed with these special elections and the 2026 primary elections, the Advocate has launched a 2026 election page and voter guide. Both have information about the House District 70 race where Alex Holladay will face Cordelia Smith-Johnson in the Democratic primary on Jan. 6. The winner will meet Republican Bo Renshaw on March 3.
Meanwhile, Senate District 26 voters can cast a ballot on Jan. 6 in the Republican primary, which features five candidates — Mark Berry, Wade Dunn, Brad Simon, Stacie Smith and Ted Tritt.
If no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the two candidates with the most votes will meet in a runoff election on Feb. 3. The winning Republican candidate will then face Independent candidate Adam Watson on March 3.
To be eligible to vote Jan. 6 in the special election primaries, residents in those districts must have been registered to vote in Arkansas by Dec. 8. You can check your voter registration and polling locations here.
Early voting in both races will be available on Dec. 30-31, Jan. 2 and Jan. 5, but times and polling sites vary by county.
In Pulaski County, voters can cast their ballot in the House District 70 Democratic primary from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Pulaski County Regional Building in Little Rock or First Christian Church of Sherwood.
Senate District 26 includes portions of Franklin, Johnson, Logan and Sebastian counties. Early voting in Franklin County is scheduled for 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Charleston Courthouse and the Ozark Training Room in Ozark.
Johnson County voters can cast early ballots from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Johnson County Courthouse in Clarksville, according to election coordinator Angela Scott.
Meanwhile, Logan County voters can cast their ballots from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Jeral Hampton Meeting Place in Booneville or the Office of Emergency Management in Paris.
In Sebastian County, early voting is scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Sebastian County EMS Training Room in Greenwood.
The Advocate will continue updating its voter guide as the special elections and primary elections are decided. A voter guide for the November 2026 general election will be published in the spring once primary election results are finalized.
