Politics and government of Arkansas
Government of Arkansas | |
---|---|
Judiciary of Arkansas | |
Courts | Courts of Arkansas |
Arkansas Supreme Court | |
Chief judge | John Dan Kemp |
Seat | Little Rock |
Year | Republican / Whig | Democratic | Third party | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
2020 | 760,647 | 62.40% | 423,932 | 34.78% | 34,490 | 2.83% |
2016 | 684,872 | 60.57% | 380,494 | 33.65% | 65,310 | 5.78% |
2012 | 647,744 | 60.57% | 394,409 | 36.88% | 27,315 | 2.55% |
2008 | 638,017 | 58.72% | 422,310 | 38.86% | 26,290 | 2.42% |
2004 | 572,898 | 54.31% | 469,953 | 44.55% | 12,094 | 1.15% |
2000 | 472,940 | 51.31% | 422,768 | 45.86% | 26,073 | 2.83% |
1996 | 325,416 | 36.80% | 475,171 | 53.74% | 83,675 | 9.46% |
1992 | 337,324 | 35.48% | 505,823 | 53.21% | 107,506 | 11.31% |
1988 | 466,578 | 56.37% | 349,237 | 42.19% | 11,923 | 1.44% |
1984 | 534,774 | 60.47% | 338,646 | 38.29% | 10,986 | 1.24% |
1980 | 403,164 | 48.13% | 398,041 | 47.52% | 36,377 | 4.34% |
1976 | 268,753 | 34.93% | 499,614 | 64.94% | 1,029 | 0.13% |
1972 | 445,751 | 68.82% | 198,899 | 30.71% | 3,016 | 0.47% |
1968 | 189,062 | 31.01% | 184,901 | 30.33% | 235,627 | 38.65% |
1964 | 243,264 | 43.41% | 314,197 | 56.06% | 2,965 | 0.53% |
1960 | 184,508 | 43.06% | 215,049 | 50.19% | 28,952 | 6.76% |
1956 | 186,287 | 45.82% | 213,277 | 52.46% | 7,008 | 1.72% |
1952 | 177,155 | 43.76% | 226,300 | 55.90% | 1,345 | 0.33% |
1948 | 50,959 | 21.02% | 149,659 | 61.72% | 41,857 | 17.26% |
1944 | 63,551 | 29.84% | 148,965 | 69.95% | 438 | 0.21% |
1940 | 42,121 | 20.98% | 158,622 | 79.02% | 0 | 0.00% |
1936 | 32,039 | 17.86% | 146,765 | 81.80% | 619 | 0.34% |
1932 | 28,467 | 12.91% | 189,602 | 85.96% | 2,493 | 1.13% |
1928 | 77,751 | 39.33% | 119,196 | 60.29% | 746 | 0.38% |
1924 | 40,564 | 29.28% | 84,795 | 61.21% | 13,173 | 9.51% |
1920 | 71,117 | 38.73% | 107,409 | 58.49% | 5,111 | 2.78% |
1916 | 48,879 | 28.73% | 112,211 | 65.97% | 9,014 | 5.30% |
1912 | 25,585 | 20.45% | 68,814 | 55.01% | 30,705 | 24.54% |
1908 | 56,624 | 37.30% | 87,015 | 57.31% | 8,183 | 5.39% |
1904 | 46,860 | 40.25% | 64,434 | 55.35% | 5,127 | 4.40% |
1900 | 44,800 | 35.04% | 81,142 | 63.46% | 1,924 | 1.50% |
1896 | 37,512 | 25.12% | 110,103 | 73.72% | 1,732 | 1.16% |
1892 | 47,072 | 31.78% | 87,834 | 59.30% | 13,211 | 8.92% |
1888 | 59,752 | 38.04% | 86,062 | 54.80% | 11,244 | 7.16% |
1884 | 51,198 | 40.70% | 72,734 | 57.83% | 1,847 | 1.47% |
1880 | 41,661 | 38.66% | 60,489 | 56.13% | 5,622 | 5.22% |
1876 | 38,649 | 39.87% | 58,086 | 59.92% | 211 | 0.22% |
1872 | 41,373 | 52.17% | 37,927 | 47.83% | 0 | 0.00% |
1868 | 22,112 | 53.68% | 19,078 | 46.32% | 0 | 0.00% |
1860 | 0 | 0.00% | 5,357 | 9.89% | 48,795 | 90.11% |
1856 | 0 | 0.00% | 21,910 | 67.12% | 10,732 | 32.88% |
1852 | 7,404 | 37.82% | 12,173 | 62.18% | 0 | 0.00% |
1848 | 7,587 | 44.93% | 9,301 | 55.07% | 0 | 0.00% |
1844 | 5,604 | 36.99% | 9,546 | 63.01% | 0 | 0.00% |
1840 | 5,160 | 43.58% | 6,679 | 56.42% | 0 | 0.00% |
1836 | 1,334 | 35.92% | 2,380 | 64.08% | 0 | 0.00% |
The State government of Arkansas is divided into three branches: executive, legislative and judicial. These consist of the state governor's office, a bicameral state legislature known as the
The state was historically part of the Solid South, and was a one-party state dominated by Democrats. Arkansas was the only state in the nation not carried by Republicans at least once between 1876 and 1968, although it voted for segregationist
Reflecting the state's large evangelical population, the state has a strong socially conservative bent. The 1874
Political history
Democrats
Since the late 19th century, Southern Democrats of Arkansas have traditionally had an overwhelming majority of registered voters in the state. At that time, they consolidated their power and achieved effective disfranchisement of African Americans (and Republican) voters by passage of the Election Law of 1891 and a
In the 20th and 21st centuries, Arkansas Democrats have tended to be more conservative than their national counterparts, particularly in areas outside metropolitan Little Rock. Traditionally having strength in most areas outside the Northwest and North Central parts of the state, in the 21st century Democrats in Arkansas predominate along the Mississippi River in the East, in central Little Rock, and around Pine Bluff and the areas south of there along the Louisiana border.
Republicans
Historically Republicans in the state were based in the northwestern areas, long a supporter of the Unionist cause in the Civil War. These were areas of yeomen farmers in the antebellum years. Planters and major slaveholders lived in the Delta area along the Mississippi River and tended to ally with the Democratic Party. As noted above, the disenfranchisement of African Americans and the consolidation of power by the Democrats left the Republicans nearly powerless. They concentrated on developing patronage positions.[7]
In 1966, Republican
It was not until the late 20th century that more white conservatives in Arkansas began to shift from the Democratic to the Republican Party. In 1989 Democratic Congressman Tommy Robinson announced his shift to the Republican Party, an indication of change.[7] The party continues to be strongest in the northwestern part of the state, due to historic conditions of that area, particularly in Fort Smith and Bentonville, as well as North Central Arkansas around the Mountain Home area. In the latter area, Republicans have been known to get 90 percent or more of the vote.
While the rest of the state used to be more Democratic, since the late 20th century Republicans have attracted members from the Little Rock suburbs, the southwest (especially
History since 1992
Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, a Democrat, was elected President of the United States candidate in 1992 and was reelected in 1996. In the former election, the state was the only one in the nation to give majority support to Clinton. However, the state has voted Republican by increasing margins in every presidential election since 1996, the longest such streak of any state in the nation, as of 2020.
Former First Lady of Arkansas and First Lady of the United States, Hillary Clinton, was elected a United States Senator for New York in 2000.[8]
The state voted for John McCain in 2008 by a margin of 20 percentage points, making it one of the few states in the country to vote more Republican that year than it had in 2004. (The others were Louisiana, Tennessee, Oklahoma, and West Virginia.)[9] Even while supporting Republican candidates for president, Arkansas voters continued to favor Democrats for statewide offices. In 2006, Democrats were elected to all statewide offices in a Democratic sweep that included regaining the governorship. However, in the 2010s, the Republican dominance at the presidential level spread to the local level. In 2012, they captured both chambers of the state legislature for the first time since Reconstruction. Republicans had won all statewide offices and all congressional seats in 2014, and won both Senate seats for the first time since Reconstruction. Republicans have consistently captured over 60% of the vote in statewide elections since 2012.
Local government
As in the national government of the United States, political power in Arkansas is divided into three main branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. Each officer's term is four years long. Office holders are
Some of Arkansas's counties have two county seats, as opposed to the usual one seat. The arrangement dates back to when travel was extremely difficult in the state. The seats are usually on opposite sides of the county to serve residents within easier traveling distances. Although travel conditions have improved, there are few efforts to eliminate the two-seat arrangement where it exists, since the county seat is a source of pride (and jobs) to the cities involved.
Arkansas is the only state to specify by law the pronunciation of its name (AR-kan-saw).[a]
Article 19 (Miscellaneous Provisions), Item 1 in the
Executive branch
The daily administration of the state’s laws are carried out by the chief executive—the Governor, and their second in command the Lieutenant Governor, the Secretary of State, the Attorney General, the Commissioner of State Lands, the State Treasurer, the State Auditor, and by the staff and employees of the 15 executive branch departments.
-
Governor
-
Attorney General
-
State Treasurer
Governor
The current Governor of Arkansas is
In Arkansas, the lieutenant governor is elected separately from the governor and can be from a different political party.[14]
Following reorganization in 2019, state government is subdivided into fifteen departments, each led by a cabinet-level official (titled secretary):
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of Commerce
- Department of Corrections
- Department of Education
- Department of Energy & Environment
- Department of Finance and Administration
- Department of Health
- Department of Human Services
- Department of Inspector General
- Department of Labor and Licensing
- Department of the Military
- Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism
- Department of Public Safety
- Department of Transformation and Shared Services
- Department of Veteran Affairs
Legislative branch
The
House districts are redistricted by the Arkansas Board of Apportionment. Following the 2012 elections, Republicans gained a 51-49 majority in the House of Representatives.[15]
Following the 2014 elections, an amendment to the Arkansas Constitution was approved that expanded legislative term limits to 16 years total in either the Senate and House of Representatives. Prior to this, Senators were limited to two four-year terms and Representatives were limited to three two-year terms.
The Republican Party
Composition of the Arkansas legislature
Arkansas's legislature is controlled by the Republican Party, which gained the majority in both houses following the 2012 general election.
The Arkansas House of Representatives
Affiliation | Members | |
---|---|---|
Republican | 76 | |
Democratic | 24 | |
Seat Vacant | 0 | |
Total | 100 |
The Arkansas Senate
Affiliation | Members | |
---|---|---|
Republicans | 26 | |
Democrats | 9 | |
Seat Vacant | 0 | |
Total | 35 |
Judiciary
Arkansas's judicial branch has five court systems: Arkansas Supreme Court, Arkansas Court of Appeals, Circuit Courts, District Courts and City Courts.
Most cases begin in district court, which is subdivided into state district court and local district court. State district courts exercise district-wide jurisdiction over the districts created by the General Assembly. Local district courts are presided over by part-time judges who may also privately practice law. Twenty-five state district court judges preside over 15 districts. The legislature has committed to establishing more districts in 2017 to accommodate growth in population.
There are 28 judicial circuits of Circuit Court, with each containing five subdivisions: criminal, civil, probate, domestic relations, and juvenile court. The jurisdiction of the Arkansas Court of Appeals is determined by the Arkansas Supreme Court. There is no right of appeal from the Court of Appeals to the high court. However, the Arkansas Supreme Court can review Court of Appeals cases upon application by either a party to the litigation, upon request by the Court of Appeals, or if the Arkansas Supreme Court believes the case should have been assigned to it. The twelve judges of the Arkansas Court of Appeals are elected from judicial districts to renewable six-year terms.
The Arkansas Supreme Court was established in 1836 by the Arkansas Constitution as the court of last resort in the state. It is composed of seven justices elected to eight-year terms. The court's decisions can be appealed only to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Federal representation
Arkansas's two U.S. Senators are elected at large:
- Senior U.S. Senator John Boozman(R)
- Junior U.S. Senator Tom Cotton(R)
Arkansas has four
- Rep. Rick Crawford(R).
- Arkansas's 2nd congressional district covers the region generally called Central Arkansas, including Little Rock – Rep. French Hill (R).
- Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers Metropolitan Area and Fort Smith metropolitan area – Rep. Steve Womack(R)
- Arkansas's 4th congressional district covers South Arkansas and the Ouachita Mountains – Rep. Bruce Westerman (R).
Arkansas remains the only former Confederate state that has never sent a Black representative to the U.S. House.[17]
Representatives' Political Persuasion – the 113th Congress | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
AR District | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Class 1 Senator | Class 2 Senator |
Representative | Rick Crawford | French Hill | Steve Womack | Bruce Westerman | John Boozman | Tom Cotton |
Conservative Score[18] | 81 | 79 | 81 | TBD | 60 | 81 |
Liberal Score[18] | 5 | 2 | 5 | TBD | 0 | 0 |
Gallery of members of U.S. Senate
-
Senior Senator John Boozman
-
Junior Senator Tom Cotton
Gallery of members of U.S. House of Representatives
Arkansas is part of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas in the federal judiciary. The district's cases are appealed to the St. Loius-based United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit.
Notes
- Territory of Arkansaw on July 4, 1819, but the territory was admitted to the United States as the state of Arkansas on June 15, 1836. The name was historically /ˈɑːrkənsɔː/, /ɑːrˈkænzəs/, and several other variants. The people of Arkansas call themselves either "Arkansans" or "Arkansawyers". In 1881, the Arkansas General Assembly passed the following concurrent resolution, now Arkansas Code 1-4-105 (official text Archived 2011-09-24 at the Wayback Machine):
Whereas, confusion of practice has arisen in the pronunciation of the name of our state and it is deemed important that the true pronunciation should be determined for use in oral official proceedings.
And, whereas, the matter has been thoroughly investigated by the State Historical Society and the Eclectic Society of Little Rock, which have agreed upon the correct pronunciation as derived from history, and the early usage of the American immigrants.
Be it therefore resolved by both houses of the General Assembly, that the only true pronunciation of the name of the state, in the opinion of this body, is that received by the French from the native Indians and committed to writing in the French word representing the sound. It should be pronounced in three (3) syllables, with the final "s" silent, the "a" in each syllable with the Italian sound, and the accent on the first and last syllables. The pronunciation with the accent on the second syllable with the sound of "a" in "man" and the sounding of the terminal "s" is an innovation to be discouraged.
Residents of the
state of Kansas often pronounce the Arkansas River as /ɑːrˈkænzəs ˈrɪvər/, in a manner similar to the common pronunciation of the name of their state.
References
- ^ Leip, David. "Presidential General Election Results Comparison – Arkansas". US Election Atlas. Retrieved January 1, 2023.
- ^ "Arkansas Presidential Election Voting History - 270toWin".
- ^ "HB1004". arkleg.state.ar.us. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ^ "The Latest: Arkansas counties begin to issue same-sex marriage licenses". 4029 TV. June 26, 2015. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ^ Blumenthal, Paul (2022-06-14). "These States Will Ban Abortion Now That Roe Is Overturned". HuffPost. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
- ^ Success=true&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents Branam, Chris M. “Another Look at Disfranchisement in Arkansas, 1888–1894”, Arkansas Historical Quarterly 69 (Autumn 2010): 245–262, via JSTOR
- ^ a b c d Jay Barth, "Republican Party", Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture, 2014
- ^ "Hillary Clinton's startling decision to run for Senate set her on a path no woman has walked | The Washington Post". The Washington Post.
- ^ See image.
- ^ "Winners in '06 Governors races" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 28, 2011. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
- ^ "Arkansas.gov Administration page for Governor". Dwe.arkansas.gov. March 16, 2007. Archived from the original on June 14, 2006. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
- ^ "Governor Terms and Term Limits" (PDF). Snelling Center for Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 7, 2009. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
- ^ Arkansas Code 7-5-806.
- ^ "Office of Lieutenant Governor". Encyclopedia of Arkansas History and Culture. The Pryor Center. February 28, 2011. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
- ^ Cooke, Mallory (14 November 2012). "Republicans Take Control of Arkansas House, Senate". KFSM-TV. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
- ^ "Arkansas Senate flips; first time since Reconstruction". The Courier. November 7, 2012. Archived from the original on January 17, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
- ^ De Millo, Andrew (October 7, 2021). "Arkansas redistrict plan splitting Pulaski County advances". Associated Press. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
- ^ a b "Liberal Vote Scores, Cosponsorship Ratings and Contact Information for Members of the House of Representatives in the 112th Congress of 2011-2012". That's My Congress. 2012.
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Further reading
- Barnes, Kenneth C. Who Killed John Clayton? Political Violence and the Emergence of the New South, 1861–1893. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1998.
- Graves, John William. Town and Country: Race Relations in an Urban-Rural Context, Arkansas 1865–1905. Fayetteville: University of Arkansas Press, 1990.
- Kousser, J. Morgan. The Shaping of Southern Politics: Suffrage Restriction and the Establishment of the One-Party South, 1880–1910. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1974.
- Ogden, Frederic D. The Poll Tax in the South. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1958.
- Perman, Michael. Struggle for Mastery: Disfranchisement in the South, 1888–1908. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2001.
- Woodward, C. Vann. Origins of the New South, 1877–1913. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1951.
See also
- Arkansas's congressional districts
- Arkansas General Assembly
- Democratic Party of Arkansas
- Governor of Arkansas
- List of politics by U.S. state
- List of United States senators from Arkansas
- Political party strength in Arkansas
- Republican Party of Arkansas
- Split-ticket voting
- United States congressional delegations from Arkansas
External links
- Politics and government of Arkansas at Curlie