2026 is a midterm election year, as you probably know, and voter turnout during non-presidential elections is generally lower, especially in Arkansas. But it's not just voters who aren't turning up to the polls — it's candidates, too. Ozarks at Large's Casey Mann has more.
Arkansas consistently ranks among the bottom of all U.S. states in voter turnout.
In the 2024 general election, roughly 54.06% of all eligible voters in Arkansas cast a ballot, according to the University of Florida Election Lab. The only states with lower turnout that year were Oklahoma and Hawaii. In addition, many races in Arkansas had only one candidate on the ballot. In 2024, more than 77% of all races in the state were uncontested, according to Ballotpedia.
Kelly Krout is a former Democratic candidate for state representative and lieutenant governor, and before she ran for office, she noticed this lack of choice.
“I was seeing signs for people running in my area, and I just didn't see an opponent. And I was like, who's running against this guy? Who else can I vote for? And I realized there was nobody. And that's when I stepped up to do it.”
Krout has lived in Northwest Arkansas for roughly 20 years. In that time, she has fostered about 20 kids and adopted three of them. She says her family's experience working with social workers and mental health professionals inspired her to go back to school to study social work after spending time as a stay-at-home mom.
“I was sitting in a social work policy class, and we were talking about civic engagement, and we were watching a video about these people doing outlandish protests — laying on railroad tracks, big displays like that. And as they were interviewing the participants, they were like, we wrote to our legislators, we showed up to vote, we did all the things, and we're not getting where we want to go, people are not listening to us. And ultimately, the point of the video was that some of these people stood up to run for office and get a seat at the table. And I just thought, who better to be advocating for vulnerable populations than people who are in social work, whose whole job it is to advocate for people in vulnerable situations? That's kind of the roundabout story of how I ended up doing that.”
Krout's campaign gained rapid attention on TikTok, where she now has more than 100,000 followers. Krout didn't win her races, but she says she's happy with how her campaign was able to reach voters, increase youth turnout and make politics more digestible for people.
“One of my biggest issues with politics in general is it's kind of confusing by design. We make people think that they're not smart enough to participate in it. And I just thought, what if we could make this more digestible in short little segments? Because you're qualified to vote, you're qualified to run for office — you're meant to be a part of the process.”
Krout says that same feeling of intimidation almost kept her from running.
“I remember when I was debating on running for state rep, I was like, I don't even know everything about being a representative. I don't know how to write, you know, all the pieces that you need to know. And at one point, I even said to myself, I don't even have the right clothes for this job. And then I was able to catch myself like, wow, what a completely ridiculous reason to not run for office. Something that is supposed to be accessible by all people.”
Krout continues to use her social media platforms to encourage others to run for office, regardless of their political background. She says when more people step up to run, voters are more likely to engage. But for many people, that first step — whether it's running for office or even just voting — can feel out of reach. That's where civic education comes in.
Kristin Netterstrom Higgins is a program associate in the Public Policy Center of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture. She works to provide Arkansans with research-based information and education about ballot issues. Higgins says gaps in civic engagement often stem from a lack of information about government operations and roles.
“Oftentimes when we're learning about history, we're learning about national government. We're learning about the past of the United States. But we might not be learning about the past of our community and how that past has shaped the current day. So the gap is there — we're not talking enough or being educated enough about local government and the role it plays in people's lives.”
When people don't understand what their elected officials do, she says it becomes harder to feel connected to the outcome of an election or motivated to participate. Higgins also aids in leadership development through programs like LeadAR, a University of Arkansas System program empowering Arkansans to drive change by providing practical training addressing the challenges and opportunities facing the state. She says leadership programs can be crucial because they break down the idea that leadership or running for office is meant for someone else.
“These aren't special people who are born and elected because of who they are, but because, first of all, they put their name in the hat. They stepped forward to do it.”
Higgins compares the role of leadership development programs to that of a driver's permit, allowing participants to practice things like drafting legislation before actually getting involved in politics.
“Before you had a driver's license, you got to practice. You got to feel what it's like perhaps to run a curb in a safe environment before you start speeding 80 miles an hour down the interstate. So giving people the ability to practice, I think, is really important.”
Higgins also says that civic engagement can start small.
“I think civic engagement includes curiosity. It includes bravery.”
Engagement can mean anything from showing up to a city council meeting, seeking out information about local government, or voting.
“Sometimes people unfortunately think it's the media's job or the government's job to give them this information, without realizing it's actually something they need to do themselves. They need to take that step to go look for that information.”
Higgins says that when people know how government works, they're more likely to take part in it, whether that means running for office or simply showing up to the polls. But even with that knowledge, many Arkansans still aren't participating. Organizations like Get Loud Arkansas are working to change that.
Ambar Mendez is a digital organizer for Get Loud Arkansas, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization working to expand voter turnout throughout the state. She says Arkansas's low rate of civic engagement is a result of many factors, including a lack of information, a lack of access to nearby polling sites in rural areas, and a disillusionment with the system.
“Sometimes, when we talk to people about getting registered to vote, they'll say, well, my voice doesn't really matter.”
Instead of lecturing people about how they're wrong, Get Loud works to address their concerns.
“Just being able to approach it from an educational standpoint, asking people why — I think that's one of the things that really helps us make sure that people feel motivated to vote.”
Get Loud also employs tactics like door-knocking and text banking, providing reminders about registration and voting deadlines, and setting up booths at local events so they can meet eligible voters face to face.
“I think when we're having these conversations, one conversation isn't going to undo a history of disenfranchisement for a person. But it starts with a conversation. It starts with having a positive interaction with someone in that space and making sure that you're open.”
For people like Kelly Krout, when those conversations lead to actions like voting or running for office, it can make the whole campaign process worth it. Krout encourages people to contact their local party organizations for campaign guidance and information about which seats need to be filled. She says progress is possible even if you don't win your first race, and simply giving people an option can pave the way for change.
“It's always worth putting it out there. But the longer that we just ignore it and say oh, there's no point, and let another one go uncontested, that makes it even harder the next time to start gaining that ground back. And uncontested elections, as I'm sure you know, lead to more polarization.”
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline and edited for length and clarity. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
