El Dorado, Arkansas Public Records

Arkansas residents can register to vote online through the Arkansas Secretary of State's website at www.sos.arkansas.gov/elections/voter-registration, or by submitting paper applications to the Union County Clerk. The registration deadline is 30 days before any election. During registration, voters must provide their Arkansas driver's license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number, though the state does not require specific voter ID numbers. First-time voters who registered by mail must show identification when voting for the first time. Acceptable IDs include driver's licenses, photo IDs issued by state or federal government, utility bills, bank statements, government checks, or other documents showing name and address. As an incorporated city, the community holds municipal elections for mayor and city council positions. Operating under a council-manager form of government, the city elects a mayor and council members representing different wards. Municipal elections typically occur in November of odd-numbered years, separate from federal and state elections. Candidates for municipal office file with El Dorado City Hall, and campaign finance reports for city candidates are public records available through the city clerk. Local ballot measures, such as bond issues or sales tax proposals, may also appear on municipal election ballots. Residents can find their assigned polling place using the Arkansas Voter View portal at www.voterview.ar-nova.org, operated by the Secretary of State. By entering their name and date of birth or address, voters can verify registration status, find their polling location, view sample ballots, and see their assigned districts. The county operates multiple polling places on Election Day, with locations designated by residential address. Early voting in Arkansas begins 15 days before Election Day and concludes the day before the election, available at the Union County Clerk's office and potentially other designated early voting sites. The county historically trends Republican in federal elections, though local races can be competitive. Election results by precinct are published by the Union County Clerk and the Arkansas Secretary of State, showing vote totals for each race and ballot measure. At the federal level, Arkansas voters will elect a U.S. Senator, as one of Arkansas's two Senate seats is up in 2026. State-level races include the Governor of Arkansas (four-year term), with the 2026 gubernatorial election being a major statewide contest. Other constitutional officers including Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, State Auditor, and Commissioner of State Lands will also be elected. Arkansas State Senate and House of Representatives seats for districts covering Union County will appear on the ballot, with specific districts determined by legislative boundaries. At the Union County level, various Union County offices including Sheriff, County Clerk, Circuit Clerk, County Judge, Assessor, Treasurer, Coroner, and others will be up for election depending on term schedules, as county officials in Arkansas typically serve four-year or two-year terms on staggered cycles. Voters should verify specific races closer to the election date as candidates file throughout 2026. Arkansas offers absentee voting for voters who will be unavoidably absent from their polling place on Election Day, unable to vote due to illness or disability, or serving as an election worker in a different precinct. Absentee ballot applications are available from the Union County Clerk's office or downloadable from the Secretary of State's website. Applications must be submitted by seven days before the election (or the Tuesday before if applying in person). Voted absentee ballots must be received by Union County Clerk by 7:30 p.m. On Election Day. The state does not offer universal mail-in voting or no-excuse absentee voting; applicants must meet one of the statutory reasons. Public election records in Arkansas include voter registration lists (available for purchase for political purposes), campaign finance reports filed by candidates and committees (searchable at www.sos.arkansas.gov/elections/campaign-finance), candidate filing information showing who is running for which offices, and official election results by precinct. The Arkansas Secretary of State maintains the statewide campaign finance database where contributions and expenditures for state and federal candidates are disclosed. Local candidates may file reports with Union County Clerk or city clerk depending on the office sought. Precinct-level election results provide transparency into voting patterns across different areas of Union County and city, with detailed results published after each election showing vote totals by candidate and by precinct.