2026 ballot measure forecast

Arkansas Issue 1

Only U.S. citizens may vote

Amends the constitution so only U.S. citizens who meet state qualifications may vote in state and local elections in Arkansas. The forecast has Yes at 75.1 percent against the 50 percent it needs, a >99% chance to pass.

Very likely to passConstitutional amendment referred by the legislatureCitizen only votingUpdated October 22, 2026
Chance to pass
>99%
2,000 simulations
Forecast Yes
75.1%
80% range 68 to 81
Needs
50%
a simple majority
Polling average
64.3%
Yes, with undecided split two to one for No
Where the Yes vote lands
needs 50
2035506580
History and structure
85.1% Yes
Polls
64.3% Yes
Forecast
75.1% Yes
Yes leans
Republican
The campaign

Legislative referral; critics cited by the UA Public Policy Center say it could lead to stricter proof of citizenship rules; no campaign money reported.

Issue 1 by county

Cross CountyIzard CountyCleveland CountyPope CountyVan Buren CountyDrew CountySaline CountyLittle River CountyWashington CountyPulaski CountyLonoke CountyConway CountyMontgomery CountyCleburne CountySearcy CountyMonroe CountyPoinsett CountyBenton CountyMississippi CountyFulton CountyScott CountyHoward CountyWoodruff CountyLogan CountyNevada CountyPike CountyBradley CountyIndependence CountyJackson CountyJefferson CountyLawrence CountyPrairie CountyPerry CountyPolk CountyCarroll CountyPhillips CountyAshley CountyChicot CountyBoone CountyCrawford CountyMadison CountyFranklin CountyHot Spring CountySharp CountyLafayette CountyBaxter CountyCalhoun CountyRandolph CountyWhite CountyClay CountyLee CountySt. Francis CountyColumbia CountyOuachita CountyCraighead CountyDallas CountyFaulkner CountySebastian CountyHempstead CountyYell CountyClark CountyGarland CountySevier CountyStone CountyJohnson CountyGreene CountyCrittenden CountyLincoln CountyMarion CountyGrant CountyArkansas CountyDesha CountyUnion CountyMiller CountyNewton CountyPulaskiBentonWashingtonSalineFaulknerSebastianGarlandCraigheadWhiteLonokePopeCrawford
No +30Yes +30Click a county to zoom · arrow keys step through counties by size
Where the margin is won
Benton County: Yes +46,309Washington County: Yes +27,525Saline County: Yes +24,759Faulkner County: Yes +21,749Pulaski County: Yes +21,485Sebastian County: Yes +19,522Garland County: Yes +18,064White County: Yes +16,399Craighead County: Yes +16,220Lonoke County: Yes +14,878Crawford County: Yes +12,255Pope County: Yes +11,856Baxter County: Yes +10,545Boone County: Yes +9,203Greene County: Yes +8,457Miller County: Yes +7,498Independence County: Yes +7,417Cleburne County: Yes +7,248Hot Spring County: Yes +6,281Union County: Yes +6,156Polk County: Yes +4,976Grant County: Yes +4,661Carroll County: Yes +4,642Johnson County: Yes +4,474Logan County: Yes +4,450Mississippi County: Yes +4,448Van Buren County: Yes +4,126Sharp County: Yes +4,123Marion County: Yes +4,121Poinsett County: Yes +3,972Madison County: Yes +3,858Conway County: Yes +3,805Franklin County: Yes +3,753Randolph County: Yes +3,707Yell County: Yes +3,596Crittenden County: Yes +3,444Columbia County: Yes +3,390Izard County: Yes +3,359Stone County: Yes +3,359Ashley County: Yes +3,314Jefferson County: Yes +3,281Lawrence County: Yes +3,258Cross County: Yes +3,047Ouachita County: Yes +2,989Clark County: Yes +2,802Clay County: Yes +2,782Fulton County: Yes +2,764Drew County: Yes +2,731Hempstead County: Yes +2,716Pike County: Yes +2,716Arkansas County: Yes +2,611Sevier County: Yes +2,554Jackson County: Yes +2,506Little River County: Yes +2,478Perry County: Yes +2,423Searcy County: Yes +2,308Scott County: Yes +2,162Howard County: Yes +2,143Montgomery County: Yes +2,121Newton County: Yes +2,085Cleveland County: Yes +1,975Prairie County: Yes +1,875Lincoln County: Yes +1,806St. Francis County: Yes +1,593Bradley County: Yes +1,427Nevada County: Yes +1,327Calhoun County: Yes +1,122Lafayette County: Yes +1,037Desha County: Yes +1,011Woodruff County: Yes +992Dallas County: Yes +959Phillips County: Yes +951Chicot County: Yes +886Monroe County: Yes +845Lee County: Yes +619
Yes +464,306 net votes from 75 countiesStatewide Yes +50.2, a 464,306 vote marginNo +0 net votes from 0 counties

Projected vote

924,326 votes on the question
ChoiceVotesShare
Yes694,31675.1%
No230,01024.9%
Total924,326100%
CountyYesNoTotalYes share
Pulaski County73,60252,117125,71958.5%
Benton County70,58524,27694,86174.4%
Washington County51,47623,95175,42768.2%
Saline County34,3039,54443,84778.2%
Faulkner County31,81210,06341,87576.0%
Sebastian County27,5127,99035,50277.5%
Garland County25,6977,63333,33077.1%
Craighead County22,8786,65829,53677.5%
White County20,0783,67923,75784.5%
Lonoke County18,9924,11423,10682.2%
Pope County15,2403,38418,62481.8%
Crawford County15,2623,00718,26983.5%
Jefferson County10,3947,11317,50759.4%
Baxter County13,2372,69215,92983.1%
Boone County11,0691,86612,93585.6%
Greene County10,3721,91512,28784.4%
Miller County9,7362,23811,97481.3%
Union County8,9482,79211,74076.2%
Crittenden County7,3173,87311,19065.4%
Independence County9,1661,74910,91584.0%
Cleburne County8,5891,3419,93086.5%
Hot Spring County8,0881,8079,89581.7%
Carroll County6,8262,1849,01075.8%
Mississippi County6,5532,1058,65875.7%
Johnson County5,7841,3107,09481.5%
Ouachita County4,8931,9046,79772.0%
Conway County5,2631,4586,72178.3%
Polk County5,8168406,65687.4%
Logan County5,4219716,39284.8%
Grant County5,4978366,33386.8%
Columbia County4,8241,4346,25877.1%
Clark County4,5231,7216,24472.4%
Marion County5,0829616,04384.1%
Van Buren County5,0819556,03684.2%
Sharp County5,0138905,90384.9%
Madison County4,7989405,73883.6%
Poinsett County4,8158435,65885.1%
Ashley County4,3791,0655,44480.4%
Franklin County4,5658125,37784.9%
Randolph County4,4837765,25985.2%
Yell County4,4198235,24284.3%
Drew County3,9571,2265,18376.3%
St. Francis County3,3041,7115,01565.9%
Cross County4,0279805,00780.4%
Stone County4,1027434,84584.7%
Hempstead County3,7771,0614,83878.1%
Izard County4,0156564,67186.0%
Lawrence County3,9336754,60885.4%
Arkansas County3,5309194,44979.3%
Jackson County3,2947884,08280.7%
Phillips County2,5021,5514,05361.7%
Clay County3,4026204,02284.6%
Fulton County3,3706063,97684.8%
Little River County3,1576793,83682.3%
Sevier County3,1235693,69284.6%
Perry County3,0266033,62983.4%
Pike County3,1414253,56688.1%
Howard County2,8547113,56580.1%
Searcy County2,6803723,05287.8%
Montgomery County2,5724513,02385.1%
Chicot County1,9341,0482,98264.9%
Newton County2,5184332,95185.3%
Lincoln County2,3555492,90481.1%
Desha County1,9409292,86967.6%
Scott County2,4943322,82688.3%
Cleveland County2,3473722,71986.3%
Prairie County2,2473722,61985.8%
Bradley County1,9985712,56977.8%
Nevada County1,8455182,36378.1%
Lee County1,3427232,06565.0%
Monroe County1,4285832,01171.0%
Dallas County1,4364771,91375.1%
Woodruff County1,4524601,91275.9%
Lafayette County1,4564191,87577.7%
Calhoun County1,3702481,61884.7%

Projected 2026 votes: each county's expected turnout, less the roughly 6 percent of voters who skip a ballot question, times its forecast Yes share. The measure needs 50.0 percent Yes to pass.

Polls of the measure

1 poll
PollsterSampleEndedYesNoUndecidedYes, adjusted
Talk Business & Politics-Hendrix College Poll1,217 LV2026-08-1260271364.3%
How this is built
Issue 1 is forecast as a citizen only voting measure whose Yes vote leans Republican. Comparable measures from 2018 to 2024 set how far its Yes share moves with Arkansas's partisanship and with each county's 2024 presidential vote, and how it reached the ballot moves it further. Polls then pull the forecast toward them by recency and size, after splitting undecided voters two to one for No. Sources: axios.com, theballotbrief.com, talkbusiness.net, uaex.uada.edu. All measures.