Arkansas Issue 1
Arkansas constitutional amendment, referred by the General Assembly, stating that only US citizens may vote.
Last refreshed: 5 November 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
What does Arkansas's new citizens-only voting amendment change?
Timeline for Arkansas Issue 1
Mentioned in: Voters back citizen-only voting in 5 states
US Midterms 2026Background
Arkansas voters approved Issue 1, the Citizens Only Voting Amendment, on 3 November 2026. With 99% counted at 1:10am on 4 November, it had 595,916 votes for to 266,871 against, about 69%, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported.
The General Assembly referred it; state Representative David Ray, a Republican, sponsored it. It rewrites Article 3, Section 1 of the constitution so that a voter must be a US citizen, an Arkansas resident, at least 18 and lawfully registered. Ray said the aim was to stop cities or other local governments from letting non-citizens vote.
It was one of five citizen-only voting measures approved on 3 November, with Alaska, Kansas, South Dakota and West Virginia. Federal law already bars non-citizens from voting in federal elections, and documentary proof of citizenship is before the Supreme Court.
Did Arkansas Issue 1 pass in 2026?
What does Arkansas Issue 1 do?
Who sponsored Arkansas Issue 1?
Written with AI from Lowdown's published reporting. Not individually reviewed by an editor. Updated 5 November 2026. Editorial standards.