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HB 1936

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2025 Regular Session

HB 1936 would shift Arkansas municipal elections to nonpartisan ballots by default, with partisan primaries possible only if requested, and clarifies residency and term rules for c

Approved by Governor
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Bill Summary · HB 1936

Summary — HB 1936 (Introduced January 17, 2025)

Status: Approved by Governor (per provided records) — note: legislative record contains conflicting entries; see “Procedural notes” below.

Purpose / Intent

HB 1936 proposes changes to Arkansas municipal election law to (1) clarify when municipal offices are filled by partisan primaries versus nonpartisan elections and (2) codify nonpartisan procedures and residency/term rules for cities with city‑manager or city‑administrator forms of government. The bill also repeals an existing subsection that referenced city administrator/manager law.

Key provisions

  • Amends Arkansas Code § 14‑42‑206(a) (nominating petitions / municipal elections):

    • Allows a mayor‑council city or town to request county party committees to conduct municipal party primaries, unless the municipal governing body adopts a resolution to hold nonpartisan elections for the upcoming year.
    • Requires such a nonpartisan resolution to be passed before August 31 of the calendar year before the election and states the resolution remains in effect for the next two years unless revoked.
    • Sets out certification and filing steps: clerk/recorder must mail certified copies to county and state party committee chairs and file with the county clerk; county clerk forwards a file‑marked copy to the county board of election commissioners.
    • Candidates nominated in party primaries are to be certified by county party committees and placed on the general election ballot.

  • Repeals Arkansas Code § 14‑42‑206(f), which previously stated that nothing in the section would repeal laws pertaining to city administrator/manager forms of government.

  • Amends election rules for city manager (Ark. Code § 14‑47‑109(d)) and city administrator (Ark. Code § 14‑48‑110(d)) forms:

    • Requires that regular and special elections for director(s), mayor and directors be nonpartisan (ballots show no party designation).
    • Clarifies at‑large vs. ward election rules and residency requirements for elected directors and mayor, and that successive terms are permitted.
    • Specifies that a director who ceases to reside in the ward/city is disqualified and creates a vacancy to be filled as law prescribes.

Fiscal impact and affected funds

  • Fiscal Statement (Arkansas Bureau of Legislative Research, dated 4/2/2025):
    • Affected fund: General Revenue.
    • Estimated FY2026 cost for full participation: average ~$1,220,067.
    • Cost assumptions: participation by ~502 incorporated cities/towns and ~11 offices; estimate ranges from ~$762,036 (one candidate per position) to ~$1,524,072 (two candidates per position). Estimate includes one additional position at the State Board of Election Commissioners but does not include potential increases in poll worker reimbursements or election notice costs.

Who is affected

  • Municipalities (mayor‑council, city manager, city administrator forms) and their governing bodies.
  • County party committees and county boards of election commissioners.
  • Municipal candidates and local voters.
  • State and county election administration budgets (General Revenue impacts).

Procedural / timeline notes and discrepancies

  • Introduced Jan 17, 2025; multiple committee referrals and readings are recorded. Some entries indicate passage and approval by the governor (approved 3/28/2025), while other entries record the bill “died in House Committee at Sine Die adjournment.”
  • The provided packet also contains text from an Illinois House amendment (creating an “Elections Special Projects Fund” and transfer rules for federal grant reimbursements) and a distinct Illinois bill history — this appears to be unrelated and likely a drafting or document‑aggregation error.

Recommendation: Because the provided documents combine materials from different jurisdictions and contain conflicting procedural records, consult the official Arkansas legislative archive (or the Secretary of State / Code Reviser) for the final enrolled act text and true status, and verify whether any cross‑state or amendment text was actually enacted.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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