Gov. Sarah Sanders late Friday (Sept. 26) reversed her decision announced earlier in the day[1] and has called for a June 2026 special election in the Senate District 26 race. She previously had the election set to correspond with the regular 2026 election cycle.
The new schedule will keep the primary election on March 3, 2026, but will move election day for Senate District 26 from Nov. 3, to June 9. (See new schedule at the end of the story.)
“We initially set the special election date to align with the existing election calendar to save taxpayer money, streamline the process for election officials, and allow for as much voter participation as possible,” Gov. Sanders said in a press release issued around 9 p.m. “After receiving feedback from the community and getting confirmation from election officials that a change while difficult is doable, I have decided to move up the general election date to expedite representation for the River Valley.”
A special election for the seat is required following the recent death of Sen. Gary Stubblefield, R-Branch.
Former State Rep. Mark Berry, R-Ozark, Paris businessman Brad Simon, and Paris businessman Ted Tritt have announced as Republicans for the seat open after the death of Sen. Gary Stubblefield, R-Branch. No Democrats have announced for the seat.
Senate District 26 includes parts of Franklin, Johnson, Logan and Sebastian counties. Stubblefield was elected to the Arkansas House of Representatives in 2010, and served one term (2011-13) before being elected to the Arkansas Senate in 2012. Towns in the expansive legislative district include Barling, Booneville, Charleston, Clarksville, Greenwood, Lamar, Lavaca, Ozark, and Paris.
“We support the decision to move the special election, which was made in collaboration with our office,” said Arkansas Secretary of State Cole Jester. “We recognize that this will create additional challenges and workload for our county election officials, but we believe it is both reasonable and achievable. We are confident this adjustment will serve the best interests of our state.”
The Democratic Party of Arkansas, which criticized the initial schedule, reiterated its call for an election cycle prior to the early 2026 fiscal session of the Arkansas Legislature.
“The fiscal session will have come and gone by the time of this general election, and 85,000 Arkansans still won’t get a say in our 2026 budget,” noted Party spokesperson Micah Wallace. “Gov. Sanders does not want these voters to have a voice in the Senate. Despite Gov. Sanders’ attempt to bury this update in a 9 PM, Friday night, press release, it is still crystal clear that even the newly announced dates are in obvious violation of Arkansas statute. This is utterly insufficient. We will issue a full statement responding to the updated election dates tomorrow.”
Following is the new special election calendar for the Senate District 26 race.
Nov. 3, 2025 – Party candidacy filing period commences
Nov. 12, 2025 – Party candidacy filing period ends
Dec. 4, 2025 – Special Primary Election ballot drawing
Jan. 15, 2026 – Deadline for overseas ballots to be delivered to County Clerk for Special Primary Election
Jan. 28, 2026 – Independent candidates start gathering signatures
March 3, 2026 – Special Primary Election
March 31, 2026 – Special Primary Runoff
April 10, 2026 – Certificates of Nomination issued by parties
April 13, 2026 – Candidates must file Certificates of Nomination
April 13, 2026 – Independent candidates submit Notice of Candidacy
April 16, 2026 – Ballot draw on or before
April 23, 2026 – Deadline for overseas ballots to be delivered to County Clerk for Special General Election
June 9, 2026 – Election Day
June 19, 2026 – Election Commissioners certify results
Related
References
- ^ announced earlier in the day (talkbusiness.net)