Arkansas – Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders has issued an amended proclamation setting a December special election to fill the vacant District 18 seat in the Arkansas Senate following the resignation of former State Sen. Jonathan Dismang.
The special election will take place Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2026, according to the proclamation signed by Sanders on Oct. 5. The election will determine who fills the vacancy representing District 18 in the Arkansas General Assembly.
Dismang resigned from his position on Sept. 15, creating the vacancy and beginning the process of selecting a replacement.
Under the Arkansas Constitution, the governor is responsible for issuing writs of election and establishing dates for special elections when vacancies occur in the General Assembly. State law also requires special elections and related deadlines to be established as soon as possible after a legislative seat becomes vacant.
Sanders initially issued a proclamation on Sept. 18 establishing dates for the special election. However, the election schedule had to be changed following the close of the candidate filing period.
The filing period ended at noon on Sept. 24.
According to the governor’s amended proclamation, only one candidate filed for each party participating in the election.
That triggered a provision of Arkansas law requiring the governor to establish an earlier date for the special election. Under Arkansas Code § 7-7-105(a)(3)(C), a new proclamation is required when a party plans to choose its nominee through a special primary but only one or two candidates have filed for that party’s nomination by the end of the filing period.
As a result, Sanders amended the original election schedule and set Dec. 15 as the date for voters to choose the next state senator representing District 18.
The proclamation also establishes several deadlines that election officials, political parties and candidates must follow before the December vote.
County boards of election commissioners must certify the results of the special primary election no later than Wednesday, Oct. 7.
Political parties then have until noon Thursday, Oct. 8, to issue Certificates of Nomination. Candidates must file those certificates by 5 p.m. that same day.
The next step will determine where candidates appear on the ballot.
The drawing for ballot positions must take place on or before Friday, Oct. 9, according to the amended proclamation.
Once those steps are completed, election preparations will continue ahead of the Dec. 15 special election.
The proclamation also sets a deadline for certification of the final election results. County boards of election commissioners must certify the results of the special election on or before Monday, Dec. 28.
Any election deadlines or requirements not specifically addressed in Sanders’ proclamation will be handled according to existing Arkansas election laws.
The special election process began after Dismang stepped down in September. His departure left District 18 without its elected representative in the Arkansas Senate and required state officials to begin the procedure established under Arkansas law for filling legislative vacancies.
The amended proclamation does not change the reason for holding the election. Instead, it moves the process forward under the specific requirements that apply when only a limited number of candidates seek party nominations.
The December vote will ultimately decide who serves the remainder of the vacant District 18 Senate position.
Sanders formally issued the amended proclamation on Oct. 5, less than three weeks after Dismang’s resignation and 11 days after the candidate filing period ended.
The proclamation cites both the Arkansas Constitution and state election law as the legal authority for the governor’s actions.
With the revised schedule now established, several election-related steps will occur during October, beginning with certification of the special primary results and the issuance and filing of party nomination certificates.
Ballot positions are also expected to be determined by Oct. 9.
Voters in District 18 will then head to the polls on Dec. 15 to select their new representative in the Arkansas Senate. Election officials will have until Dec. 28 to certify the final results.
The person chosen in the special election will fill the Senate seat left vacant by Dismang’s Sept. 15 resignation and restore representation for District 18 in the Arkansas General Assembly.
