AR HB1610

School districts may request county election boards to reduce polling places or conduct elections entirely by absentee ballot and early voting when only one candidate runs for director and no other ballot issues exist (except unchanged local tax rates).

School districts may alternatively hold an "election by candidate" under § 7-11-107(c) procedures, allowing the unopposed candidate to cast a ballot for themselves at a designated time without opening polling places.

For special elections with only one unopposed candidate and no other races or issues, county election commissioners may conduct elections by absentee ballot only, open one polling place at the courthouse, or use the election-by-candidate procedure for municipal offices.

Counties using voting machines may choose to use paper ballots counted by hand for unopposed candidate elections, and voting machine requirements do not apply in these cases.

For unopposed municipal candidates, an "election by candidate" procedure allows the candidate to cast a ballot for themselves at a designated location on election day, after which they are declared elected; the county must publish notice two weeks before the election.