Thousands of Voters Skipped 2024 Arkansas Ballot Issues

by Kristin Higgins - November 20, 2024

Thousands of Arkansans skipped over the two statewide ballot issues when they voted on Election Day 2024. Although more people voted on the constitutional amendments than they did in the 2022 midterms, just under half the state's adult population cast a vote on this year's two constitutional amendments.

Expanding lottery ticket scholarships to technical schools and removing the Pope County casino license from the state constitution while requiring future votes on any casino location were on the ballot. This year's election was the first time in 38 years for legislators to refer only one constitutional amendment to the voters to decide.

We take a look at voter turnout in 2024 and how the proposed constitutional amendments fared.

Voter Turnout vs. Arkansas Adults

Throughout its history, Arkansas has suffered from low voter participation. This year is no different when you look at the number of adults who live in Arkansas.

The Arkansas Secretary of State's Office reports 1.8 million registered voters—a higher number than in previous years, but this is a state with at least 2.3 million adults.

On Election Day, 1,189,906 Arkansans submitted a ballot—or 65.09% of registered voters. However, the Arkansans who voted represent 51% of the number of adults living in Arkansas, as of the most recent Census Bureau's Citizen Voting Age Population Special Tabulation chart from the 2018-2022 5-Year American Community Survey.

Table 1. 2024 Ballot Issues - Voter Turnout versus Arkansas Adult Turnout

* Percentage of all registered voters casting a vote
** Percentage of adults residing in Arkansas casting a vote

Arkansas had third lowest turnout when looking at voter-eligible population, according to the Florida Election Lab at the University of Florida. Fewer adults voted in Oklahoma and Hawaii. 

Arkansas Voters Skipped ...

When you skip a candidate race or ballot issue, this is called "undervoting."

Election results on the Arkansas Secretary of State website do not show undervotes at the state or county level. To calculate the statewide undervote on ballot issues, we subtracted the number of votes cast on the ballot measures from the total number of votes cast shown on the Secretary of State's website. 

Research shows voters skip over ballot issues they're unfamiliar with the policy proposal, preferring to keep the status quo when there's uncertainty. Yet the ballot title for Issue 1 this year was simple and easy to understand. 

41,530 voters completely skipped Issue 1, which passed with the highest voter support of any constitutional amendment in Arkansas history. More people skipped over Issue 2 related to the Pope County casino license. This citizen initiative attracted the most attention and questions when we presented on the 2024 ballot issues.

However, the disparity between undervotes on Issue 1 and Issue 2 are much lower this year than on ballot issues in previous elections. For example, in 2022, there was nearly a 40,000 vote difference between a proposal allowing legislators to call themselves into legislative session and a proposal to legalize marijuana for non-medical purposes.

Table 2. 2024 Ballot Issues Results

Arkansas Ballot Issue Education Program

The Public Policy Center at the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture has provided neutral, research-based fact sheets on every statewide ballot issue since 2004. The purpose is to provide voters with a better understanding of what is being asked on them.